Standardized School Designs Shot Down

AUGUSTA, Maine-State legislators recently voted down a bill that would have provided standardized construction plans for all new schools built in the state. The bill’s sponsor, Rep. Kevin Glynn, R-South Portland, suggested that schools could save money by sticking to one of the pre-approved design plans. As an incentive, schools who used the plans would be eligible for total state funding of their new construction, while schools that used plans of their own design would not receive any money from the state for their construction projects.

School construction officials with the Department of Education opposed the bill, saying that schools would not actually save much money by using standardized designs because new schools had to fit with their sites. Others who opposed the bill thought that “cookie cutter” schools would take away from the individual character of towns and neighborhoods.

Ultimately, legislators on the Education and Cultural Affairs Committee voted not to pass the bill. The vote was unanimous.