Policy Research

Opportunity Zones Should Help Modernize Public School Facilities

Mary Filardo, Jeff Vincent

Summary

This article from the Center for Cities and Schools, a program from the University of California Berkeley, raises the issue of public-school infrastructure and asks if the opportunity zone program could help reduce the amount of inequity that currently exists in our nation’s public schools. The article states that not only would these improvements on facilities make jobs during the construction, but they would also help teacher retention due to upgraded facilities. These new schools would hopefully transform into a community center as well, including facilities such as health clinics, adult education, recreation, and elder services. Funding from opportunity zones could be just the thing these schools need to improve.

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Policy Implications

This article makes brings into question whether the rules for developments in these areas should have been clear. This would mean projects must prove that their development would be beneficial to the residents of the town. Projects that utilize opportunity zones should aim to make the zone ineligible to be a zone.