AFT's Randi Weingarten on the Rebuild America's Schools Act

WASHINGTON—American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten issued the following statement on the introduction of the Rebuild America's Schools Act, a $100 billion proposal to address the chronic underinvestment in school buildings across the country. The legislation will be unveiled tomorrow on Capitol Hill as one of the first items of business for the House Committee on Education and Labor.

“Every day, millions of students and educators across the country attend schools that put their health and safety at risk—black toxic mold on floors, classrooms without heat, leaking ceilings and contaminated water. We cannot send our kids to schools in these conditions and expect them to learn and thrive. Our children deserve better.

“Thanks to the leadership of Chairman Bobby Scott and Sens. Jack Reed and Sherrod Brown, Congress can take long-overdue action to address the deteriorating and obsolete school facilities that exist in far too many of our communities. Rebuilding America’s public schools requires making our school infrastructure a priority and committing resources to back that claim up.”