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August 10,2010
Rep. Dicks Details New Effort to Rehabilitate Schools on Military Bases
A House subcommittee has launched a national initiative to renovate or replace schools operated by local school districts on U.S. military bases, according to U.S. Rep. Norm Dicks, Chairman of the House Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, who added $250 million to next year’s defense spending bill to address problems of capacity and poor physical conditions in the elementary and secondary schools.
Following a comprehensive assessment of Army schools and serious concern expressed by Defense Secretary Robert Gates at a visit to Fort Riley in May, the congressman said his panel approved the funds on July 27th within the defense funding bill for next fiscal year.
“One of the most urgent concerns for our deployed troops is for their families and kids to be properly cared for, and one area where we have seen great deficiency is the condition of our on-base schools,” Rep. Dicks said. He said a recent Army analysis indicated that 19 schools at seven bases were rated as in “poor” condition or were substantially smaller than needed.
“We believe the amount we’ve recommended in the FY 2011 appropriations bill will allow the Defense Department to address the most serious capacity and condition issues next year, and this will be a continuing concern of the subcommittee in future years,” Chairman Dicks stated.
The congressman cited visits he has made to schools operated by the Clover Park School District at Joint Base Lewis-McChord. Six schools at the base would be high priority candidates for replacement, he said, though in two cases consolidations are planned. If all are approved by the Pentagon through the new initiative, the Defense Department would construct four schools to replace the six facilities that will be demolished. Several other Army bases nationwide have similarly urgent school facility issues to resolve -- qualifying for the new program.
The defense appropriations bill containing the school funds allocates $250 million in the next fiscal year to “construct, renovate, repair or expand elementary and secondary public schools on military installations in order to address capacity or facility condition deficiencies at such schools…. (i)n making such funds available, the (DoD) Office of Economic Adjustment or the Secretary of Education shall give priority consideration to those military installations with schools having the most serious capacity or facility condition deficiencies as determined by the Secretary of Defense.”
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