California's school facilities and public buildings are in dire need of expansion, updating and repair, according to the nonprofit California Rebuild America Coalition (CalRAC). The state Office of Public School Construction estimates that California will need to add 46,000 new classrooms--the equivalent of 1,175 new schools--to meet the demand created by one million new students expected to be added to enrollment rolls by 2010. Currently, over 2,000 classroom and construction repair projects have received approval but cannot break ground because the state's matching funds have run dry.

Spending on infrastructure in California has dropped from nearly 20% of general fund revenues in the early 1960s to less than 3% today, despite the state's tremendous population growth.

Two new CalRAC "Focus on Infrastructure" documents include recommendations such as promoting construction of energy-efficient, environmentally friendly facilities that reduce heating and cooling costs as replacements for expensive, aging buildings. The documents are available at www.calrac.org/infra.agenda.html.