construction. These local education agencies face an 
annual struggle to meet their operating budgets. 
‘‘(3) According to a 1991 survey conducted by 
the American Association of School Administrators, 
74 percent of all public school buildings need to be 
replaced. Almost one-third of such buildings were 
built prior to World War II. 
‘‘(4) The majority of the schools in unsatisfac-
tory condition are concentrated in central cities and 
serve large populations of poor or minority students. 
‘‘(5) In the large cities of America, numerous 
schools still have polluting coal burning furnaces. 
Decaying buildings threaten the health, safety, and 
learning opportunities of students. A growing body 
of research has linked student achievement and be-
havior to the physical building conditions and over-
crowding. Asthma and other respiratory illnesses 
exist in above average rates in areas of coal burning 
pollution. 
‘‘(6) According to a study conducted by the 
General Accounting Office in 1995, most schools are 
unprepared in critical areas for the 21st century. 
Most schools do not fully use modern technology and 
lack access to the information superhighway. Schools 
in central cities and schools with minority popu-
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lations above 50 percent are more likely to fall short 
of adequate technology elements and have a greater 
number of unsatisfactory environmental conditions 
than other schools. 
‘‘(7) School facilities such as libraries and 
science laboratories are inadequate in old buildings 
and have outdated equipment. Frequently, in over-
crowded schools, these same facilities are utilized as 
classrooms for an expanding school population. 
‘‘(8) Overcrowded classrooms have a dire im-
pact on learning. Students in overcrowded schools 
score lower on both mathematics and reading exams 
than do students in schools with adequate space. In 
addition, overcrowding in schools negatively affects 
both classroom activities and instructional tech-
niques. Overcrowding also disrupts normal operating 
procedures, such as lunch periods beginning as early 
as 10 a.m. and extending into the afternoon; teach-
ers being unable to use a single room for an entire 
day; too few lockers for students, and jammed hall-
ways and restrooms which encourage disorder and 
rowdy behavior. 
‘‘(9) School modernization for information tech-
nology is an absolute necessity for education for a 
coming CyberCivilization. The General Accounting 
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Office has reported that many schools are not using 
modern technology and many students do not have 
access to facilities that can support education into 
the 21st century. It is imperative that we now view 
computer literacy as basic as reading, writing, and 
arithmetic. 
‘‘(10) Both the national economy and national 
security require an investment in school construc-
tion. Students educated in modern, safe, and well- 
equipped schools will contribute to the continued 
strength of the American economy and will ensure 
that our Armed Forces are the best trained and best 
prepared in the world. The shortage of qualified in-
formation technology workers continues to escalate 
and presently many foreign workers are being re-
cruited to staff jobs in America. 
‘‘SEC. 10002. PURPOSE. 
‘‘The purpose of this title is to provide Federal funds 
to enable local educational agencies to finance the costs 
associated with the construction, repair, and moderniza-
tion for information technology of school facilities within 
their jurisdictions. 
‘‘SEC. 10003. FEDERAL ASSISTANCE IN THE FORM OF 
GRANTS. 
‘‘(a) AUTHORITY AND CONDITIONS FOR GRANTS.— 
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