Agenda - 03-28-2001-4 - Laserfiche WebLink

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• analyze school sites for their proximity to village centers and established neighborhoods; and • select sites served by adequate roads, utilities, and other essential services. The brochure gives real-life examples of schools that have followed these principles. Kittery, for example, is cited for using local funds to rehabilitate the historic Frisbee School. The school now meets current life-safety and ADA standards. Vermont Vermont has explicitly recognized the importance of older schools to town.centers.. Consider this policy, adopted in August 1997 by the Vermont Education Department: "It is... in the public interest to protect Vermont's historic schools for future generations and it shall be the policy of the Vermont State Board of Education that: School districts be encouraged to use the existing infrastructure to meet the needy of Vermont's students and therefore funding far renovations, including major repairs, and additions to existing school buildings shall be given preference over new school develapment, taking into consideration the educational needs of students and that the costs of rehabilitation do not unreasonably exceed the costs of such new development. 1. YVith specific respect to historic school buildings listed on or eligible for the State. or National Register of Historic Places, school districts shall make all reasonable efforts to preserve and protect such buildings and wherever possible, rehabilitate or add to such buildings to permit continued use as a school building. " State funding Maryland. Maryland also leads the way in the elimination of handing formulas that discriminate against older schools and favor new ones. In fact, Maryland's formula actually favors the renovation of existing schools over the construction of new ones. Whereas the majority of the state's funds for capital projects formerly went into new school construction, today, 84% goes to existing schools."~ ~ Maryland's Smart Growth 43