School districts are also required to comply with a variety of federal mandates. These include removing safety hazards such as asbestos and radon, and making sure school programs are accessible to people with disabilities. In general, these mandates add to the cost of renovation, repair, or construction projects. Facilities Directly Affect Student Achievement Research evidence and common sense both indicate that there is a minimum level of quality for a school facility below which student and teacher effectiveness can be seriously compromised. A variety of studies conducted since 1982 throughout the United States indicate that students achieve less in school buildings which are situated on noisy streets, have too many students for their capacity, or cannot be adequately and safely maintained.
Many researchers also believe that smaller is better, both in terms of class size and school size.
And while there is no universal agreement about the optimum size for a school, there appears to be growing conviction among researchers that student achievement would be improved if schools were smaller than they are now in California. Many experts on school reform and school facilities see a fundamental mismatch between how schools need to operate and the buildings most schools occupy. In one publication after another, both state and national experts characterize existing school facilities as obstacles to educational improvement. Such space is woefully missing in many California schools. For one, local communities and the state as a whole must invest more in school facilities.