The Rebuild America’s Schools Act (RASA), H.R. 865, can help modernize education in our communities, and as a school leader you have the power to make Congress understand how it can improve the lives​ of the students we serve every day.

Join educators and advocates all across the nation by emailing your congressional representatives and senators here​.

AFSA and dozens of other education organizations are holding a virtual National Day of Action via Twitter and emails to advocate that RASA be included in the next stimulus/infrastructure package being considered by Congress. 

RASA would provide $200 billion in federal funding to repair school facilities; it was passed out of the House Education and Labor Committee in early 2019 but has been stalled ever since.

The average public school is more than 50 years old. We have reached a critical juncture to fulfill the need to update and make safer our 100,000 public K–12 school facilities across the country. Each day, communities send their children to school buildings with rotting floors and ceilings, inadequate heating and air conditioning, plagued by mold and other irritants—all circumstances proven to undermine learning and teaching outcomes. These poor conditions, lack of resilience and vulnerabilities make it harder and more costly to reopen and restart the economy in the wake of a crisis. 

Our public school buildings and the grounds are invaluable community anchors. Our children need the social and emotional connections to other children and adults provided in our public schools. These experiences enable them to mature and obtain the knowledge and skills necessary for success in the workforce and as members of their communities. 

Although educational technology is an essential tool in our lives, virtual learning in isolation fails to provide an adequate and complete educational experience for children. Additionally, parents and caregivers cannot participate productively in the workforce without the support of public schools. Further, the work needed to modernize our deteriorated buildings and grounds would provide millions of jobs in communities in rural and urban settings alike, across the nation. 

For these reasons, neglected school infrastructure must be addressed and is wise policy. We must act now to pressure Congress to include school facility modernization in the larger infrastructure and stimulus package. If schools are left out, there is little chance for this bill to become law.