House Education Committee passes bill to create statewide school facilities inventory

The House Education Committee voted 14-12 to pass House Bill 1701 on Oct. 6, directing the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) to create a statewide inventory of public school facilities, require facility condition assessments and require each school entity to produce a modernization plan within one year of its assessment.

Representative Fiedler, the bill’s prime sponsor, told the committee the measure is intended to give lawmakers a comprehensive picture of aging and unsafe school buildings across the Commonwealth. "Many of our school buildings are outdated. Some are unsafe," Representative Fiedler said, adding that a statewide inventory would allow PDE and experts to make prioritized, data-driven recommendations for repairs.

The bill, as amended in committee, requires PDE to develop a public-school facility inventory and collect information from school entities by December 2027. It also establishes a Public School Facility Advisory Committee within PDE to set uniform criteria for condition assessments. Assessments must consider structural and system components, Americans with Disabilities Act compliance and exposure to environmental hazards. Each school entity must post its modernization plan on its public website within one year of completing its assessment.

Three committee amendments were adopted before the final vote. Amendment A01768—described by Representative Curry as providing technical clarifications, adding athletic facilities to the assessment scope, requiring third-party assessors to deliver executive summaries (excluding details that could expose security vulnerabilities), and calling out asbestos, lead, mold and ADA compliance—passed by a voice roll call showing 14 ayes and 12 nays. Representative Curry said the amendment "clarify[ies] and strengthen[s] the bill."

Amendment A01660, offered by Representative Isaacson and passed 21-5, added energy efficiency and performance to the list of data points to be measured in facility condition assessments. "Operational costs and inefficiencies were raised repeatedly by districts," Representative Isaacson said in support of the amendment.

Amendment A01661, offered by Representative Kazim and passed 24-2, added evaluations of physical safety and security to the assessments. Committee members who supported the amendment cautioned against disclosing sensitive security details in public summaries. "We need to make sure they are not improperly disclosed," Chair Cutler said, while supporting the security-assessment language.

Opponents said scope and cost remain concerns. Representative Anderson, who voted no on the bill, said the committee lacks a reliable estimate of how many buildings would be assessed and what the assessments will cost. He cited figures provided in committee discussion: PDE counts 2,952 instructional buildings, and with the bill’s expanded scope (administrative, athletic and maintenance buildings) the committee heard an estimate of about 4,300 buildings to be assessed. Representative Anderson also cited an industry estimate that HVAC-only assessments could cost "$100,000 to $150,000 depending on the size of your district." He said, "This is a big project. It's a monstrous project," and concluded he would vote no because the cost and scope are not defined.

Other dissenting members echoed concerns about duplication for districts that already undertake facility assessments and potential new mandates for Career and Technology Centers. Representative Schlegel said some districts worried the measure would create "another mandate" and asked for exemptions for joint operating authorities that make facility decisions on behalf of multiple districts. Representative Gleim said the bill "isn't ready" and that committee work should refine policy before passage.

Proponents, including the sponsor, said school entities already conduct assessments (Representative Fiedler noted state law requires a facilities assessment every five years) but that the Commonwealth does not currently collect or coordinate those local data. Fiedler said compiling state-level data is necessary if policymakers will consider significant investments in school construction and modernization.

The committee record shows the bill and amendments passed in committee and will move forward with the changes adopted. During the debate, committee staff said fiscal estimates and appropriations questions would be handled by the Appropriations Committee and other budget processes, not as part of this committee’s vote.