Download 32-page brochure

Neighborhood Schools

Pennsylvania’s traditional cities and towns enjoy two enormous assets that suburbs can’t match: the ability to walk from one place to another, and the sense of place and belonging that comes from having long-established neighborhoods.

Walkable neighborhood schools are an indispensable element of vibrant towns.  Having a nearby school is a major reason why families move into a traditional neighborhood in the first place.  And as a school serves successive generations, it becomes a cherished landmark that gives the neighborhood its identity and appeal. Moreover, a wealth of educational literature shows that students – especially those from low- and moderate-income families – perform much better in the small, family-friendly environment that neighborhood schools foster. Unfortunately, hundreds of neighborhood schools have been closed in recent decades all across the Pennsylvania, usually to be replaced by generic mega-schools to which students are bused. This is usually done in the name of efficiency, the need for modern facilities, and the desire for a campus-like setting.

New construction costs nearly twice as much as renovations/additions Between October 2003 and December 2006, the Pennsylvania Department of Education approved 33 new school construction projects and 94 construction projects involving renovations and/or additions to existing schools. All renovated school buildings must be brought up to code and will have the same life expectancy of a new school. The average cost, per square foot, of new schools is nearly twice the cost of renovations and additions, if all project costs are considered. New Schools: $212.99 sq. ft. Renovations/Additions: $114.62 sq. ft. Click here for the list of projects

But whatever the reason, removing local schools often leads to neighborhood decline. Hundreds of neighborhood schools have been closed statewide since the 1950s, leading to what the Brookings Institution calls the “hollowing out” of Pennsylvania – disinvestment in traditional towns in favor of developing suburbs.

Alarmed by this trend, a task force of state agencies and non-profit partner organizations – led by the Pennsylvania Department of Education, the Pennsylvania School Boards Association, and the Pennsylvania chapter of the American Institute of Architects –  conceived and produced a booklet called “Renovate or Replace?”

The booklet urges school districts to consider the social, environmental, and economic advantages of retaining older neighborhood schools when exploring the need for new or upgraded facilities.

It contains short essays from Pennsylvania’s top level cabinet officers, including

• Secretary of Education
• Secretary of Community and Economic Development
• Secretary of Health
• Secretary of Transportation
• Secretary of Environmental Protection
• Executive Director, Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission

The booklet has been sent to all 501 school districts in Pennsylvania by the Pennsylvania School Boards Association and to 2,800 architects by AIA Pennsylvania, a Society of the American Institute of Architects. Copies are also being distributed by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, and Preservation Pennsylvania, the commonwealth’s statewide non-profit historic preservation organization.

The brochure was edited by Tom Hylton.  It was designed and published by Save Our Land, Save Our Towns Inc. with funding by the William Penn Foundation.

Order hard copies from:

Save Our Land, Save Our Towns Inc.
222 Chestnut Street
Pottstown, PA 19464

610.323.6837
FAX 610.323.6841
email: thomashylton@comcast.net

$5 for the first brochure
$2.50 for each additional brochure
Includes sales tax, shipping and handling

Please make checks payable to Save Our Land Inc.