Steven Holt: “this morning I am talking about trailers. Temporary school buildings. I have visited over 80 schools in my district and…”

“this morning I am talking about trailers. Temporary school buildings. I have visited over 80 schools in my district and everywhere I go, parents, teachers, and students all talk to me about the problem of overcrowding and the expense of construction. Just last week, Secretary of Education Riley and I visited Crossroads School in a school district where the total student population has doubled in the past 11 years from 3,500 students to 7,000 now. Mr. Speaker, study after study shows that smaller class sizes produce better students. With the median school construction cost for an elementary school in New Jersey at $13 million, and the price of a new high school at more than $22 million on average, these are expenses that our beleaguered taxpayers cannot afford. They cannot continue to have staggering tax increases year after year. So, Mr. Speaker, they are putting up temporary trailers. Temporary buildings may be a temporary solution, but they are not cheap. They cost nearly $40,000 to install, $6,000 a year to lease, and there is a maintenance cost. There is also a cost to the students. Trailers may provide more space, but do not provide the optimal learning environment for a quality education. Because of their long, rectangular shape, students have trouble seeing the blackboard, and many do not have Internet connections. Congress must act to pass legislation that will provide much-needed financial assistance to fast growing school districts.”