Gov. Gavin Newsom faces a decision in his last year as governor similar to one former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger faced in his first year two decades ago: How to deal with a lawsuit demanding that the state fix unhealthy and inadequate school facilities? In 2004, Schwarzenegger, a political novice, moved quickly and, within a half year of becoming governor, settled a lawsuit that his predecessor, Gray Davis, had dragged out in San Francisco County Superior Court for more than three years. The landmark agreement that Schwarzenegger and his aides negotiated in 2004 redefined the state’s oversight over school facility conditions. Nearly a quarter-century later, with some schools in equally deplorable shape as they were back then, a lawsuit filed in late October calls on the Alameda County Superior Court to declare unconstitutional the state system of doling out billions of dollars in state bond money to renovate schools.  The lawsuit argues that, with few exceptions, the system of matching grants rewards students in property-rich districts that can afford to issue large facility bonds while ignoring deteriorating schools in property-poor districts that can’t afford to maximize matching state grants.  Lawyers for the state have not yet responded in Miliani R. v. State of California, and Newsom hasn’t commented. But as the case moves forward in 2026, the governor, while not directly named as a defendant, will stake out his administration’s position one way or the other. The question is: Will he act like Schwarzenegger or Davis, ignoring an aid formula that Newsom has acknowledged needs to be changed?

When students at Chief Tahgee Elementary Academy returned from winter break this week, they walked into something they had never experienced before: a permanent school building designed especially for them, next door to ShoBan High School. For the first time since the school opened in 2013, students are learning in a purpose-built facility with a cafeteria, library, and space to expand cultural and academic programming. Until now, the K–7 public charter school located on the Fort Hall Indian Reservation operated out of rented portable buildings. In early 2025, the school was awarded a $4 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education to construct the new facility, a highly competitive award given to four schools nationwide. Construction began in May, and the building opened to students this week, as planned.

The Hawaiʻi School Facilities Authority is rolling out a new digital planning platform built with San Francisco-based firm MKThink, an “Akamai” configurator that state leaders say could shave months off design schedules and help trim construction costs, as per Honolulu Star-Advertiser. State leaders are not sugarcoating the backlog. Roughly 1,800 portable classrooms are still in use across the islands, a number the Honolulu Star-Advertiser reported is roughly equal to 61 elementary schools worth of space. The SFA and Department of Education together oversee about 4,500 structures, representing millions of square feet of public school facilities.  

On Monday night, Inlet View Elementary School Principal Arthur Sosa tended to the last few small details before his school opened to students for the first time Tuesday. Boxes were strewn along hallways as teachers put together their classrooms and construction workers milled about, adding finishing touches to the inside of the school. Sosa and his teachers said they were excited to welcome students into the long-awaited new school building. “It’s going to feel good,” Sosa said. “It’s going to feel great.” Built in 1957, the original Inlet View building in Anchorage’s South Addition neighborhood had no sprinkler system, no cafeteria and no gymnasium, and it suffered from significant temperature fluctuations, leaky roofs and, at times, rodent issues and backed-up sewage. More than 500 requests for repairs were submitted in 2018 alone.

The Westfield Washington Schools Board of School Trustees and the Westfield City Council met to discuss how the fast-growing community can better align residential development, infrastructure planning, and long-term school facility needs. The working session, held at Westfield High School, underscored a shared emphasis on collaboration as Westfield continues to add residents. Officials focused on how coordinated planning can support steady population growth while maintaining strong educational outcomes and quality of life. School leaders told council members that Westfield Washington Schools is operating under a data-driven plan to responsibly expand facilities over the next decade to 15 years. The strategy, they said, is designed to accommodate enrollment growth while prioritizing student experience, educator support, and family needs. “The solution to this problem isn’t about slapping up homes or enabling unchecked sprawl,” said Scott Willis. “It’s about growth that creates a healthy, sustainable, and prosperous community. My commitment to our residents is to balance the resident feedback I’ve heard about density with the undeniable necessity of supporting our school district.”