It seems that the ‘elephant in the room’ these days for all school design teams (at least here in America) is the future of funding. Beyond the more obvious implications that school construction takes capital, there is the underlying question of whether or not ‘prototype’ designs will begin to become a requirement in various states around the nation as politicians and funding leaders begin to demand ‘efficient’ building programs.

To that end, there is more and more talk (some whispers, too) about the potential of the “65% funding solution” that ties school funding to instruction vs. non-instruction needs. Standard and Poors — well known for matters well outside of educational circles — has an intersting initiative named SchoolMatters that appears to offer a fairly objective look at the implications of the “65% funding solution”. Might be worth your time to scan the site and its resources if you’re beginning to sense the potential impact of this topic on school construction in the future.

Also, received an email from Susan Shafer, the Director of Marketing and Communciations @ Standard & Poor’s School Evaluation Services today reminding me of SchoolMatters 1 Year Anniversary. It read as follows:

During the last year, Standard & Poor’s, as part of the National Education Data Partnership, has strived to provide SchoolMatters’ visitors with a one-stop place to find valuable education data that can be used to educate, empower and engage them about how best to improve their schools. From Standard & Poor’s unique analytical reports and analyses, to the largest online collection of education data, we hope you have, and will continue to find value in SchoolMatters.

On Wednesday, March 29, SchoolMatters will celebrate its one-year anniversary. In order to commemorate this important day, Standard & Poor’s will add some new resources and information to the website, as well as post the latest performance data for more than 28 states. Moreover, as part of the anniversary celebration, Standard & Poor’s will prepare a special March/April edition of In Focus, SchoolMatters’ newsletter. You should expect to receive your copy on Wednesday, March 29.

Thank you for your continued support of SchoolMatters.

Beyond SchoolMatters, what do you think of the “65% funding solution”? And what would its potential impact be on the school design and construction industries in your state or nationally?