Old Buildings, Measurable Costs: What the Research Says About Renovating Schools

Some neighbors are asking a fair question about the referendum: what do we actually get for the money?

A four-year study set out to answer that. A team from Perkins Eastman and Drexel University compared 28 schools in two districts, half recently modernized and half not. They put sensors in classrooms, surveyed students and teachers, walked every building with a 234-question assessment, and pulled years of enrollment and test score data. The team published the results as a free public report, and the findings were peer-reviewed this year in Children, Youth and Environments.

Here is what they found.

Kids in modernized schools scored higher. Students in renovated buildings had higher standardized test scores in both English and math. Those schools also saw statistically significant enrollment growth. Families vote with their feet, and they were choosing the updated buildings.

The air was cleaner. Particulate matter in modernized schools averaged 11.7 micrograms per cubic meter, which rates "good" on the Air Quality Index. Non-modernized schools averaged 21.4, which rates only "moderate." Children breathe faster than adults, so they get a bigger dose of whatever is in the room.

The temperature was right more often. Modernized schools spent 24 percent more time inside the comfort range and had temperature swings 4 degrees smaller. The hottest and coldest readings in the entire study both came from non-modernized buildings. Older schools were frequently overheated in winter, which the researchers note wastes energy and drives up operating costs. Prior research they cite found student work speed improves 2 to 4 percent for every 1.8 degree drop from 77 toward 68.

Quieter classrooms and better daylight. Background noise in modernized schools came in under the 40 decibel standard used for new school construction. Non-modernized schools did not meet it. Renovated buildings had 18 percent less under-daylit floor area, and older buildings leaned harder on electric lighting to compensate, another line item on the utility bill.

Students noticed. 67 percent of students in modernized schools called their building "very friendly and welcoming," compared to 45 percent in older buildings. Asked whether their classroom felt "exciting or inspiring," 37 percent in modernized schools said yes. In non-modernized schools, 2 percent did. Students in renovated buildings also reported feeling significantly safer, both inside and outside.

Parents saw a community anchor. Parents at modernized schools were more likely to describe their school as a neighborhood hub, a physically attractive addition, and a place that attracts people to the area.

Why this matters in Elmbrook

Pilgrim Park opened in 1958. Swanson in 1960. Tonawanda and Wisconsin Hills in 1969. These are the four buildings on the ballot. Right now, one classroom at Pilgrim Park is sinking into the marsh. Kids in wheelchairs cannot reach parts of that school without cutting through other classes. At Tonawanda, small-group instruction happens in the server room because there is nowhere else to put it.

The study's authors are careful to say their design shows association, not proof of cause. But the direction of every finding points the same way, and it matches what teachers and parents in those four buildings already know from experience.

Renovation runs 40 to 50 percent cheaper than new construction. The district holds an Aaa bond rating and is putting $71 million of its own operating budget toward these buildings over the next decade. Two funding paths are on the table, including one that swaps in for debt retiring in 2028. Details on both options are on the district's referendum page.

The return on investment question deserves a real answer. This study is one. Cleaner air, steadier temperatures, quieter rooms, more daylight, higher scores, growing enrollment. That is what districts got when they fixed old buildings.

Election Day is Tuesday, November 3. Early voting starts October 20 at your municipal clerk's office. Learn more at yesforelmbrook.org.

Paid for by Yes for Elmbrook