CLINTON-GORE LIVABILITY AGENDA:
BUILDING LIVABLE COMMUNITIES
FOR THE 21ST CENTURY

To encourage greater public participation in the planning and design of new schools, the Department of Education is proposing a $10 million competitive grant program. This initiative is based on recommendations from the National Symposium on School Design convened by the Vice President last October.

As a nation we need to build 5,000 new schools to meet the demands of the "baby boom" echo and modernize thousands of older schools as well. These schools need to reflect changes in how we teach and learn and the new reality that learning is a life-long process. School buildings, in short, need to be designed so they can be more actively used by the entire community.

Involving teachers, parents, students, museums, and other community groups in the process of planning and design of new schools brings a fresh wave of creativity to the planning process and often provides the impetus for cost sharing, savings and maximum use of the school facility by the entire community. The school becomes even more of an "anchor" for civic life of the community and the "center of the community."

This proposal seeks to support the creation of community partnerships working with local school boards to encourage broader citizen engagement in developing a school system master plan or an individual school site space and design plan. The competitive grants program would provide funds for up to one year and require a local community match. We anticipate funding approximately 150 to 200 grants, with the grants ranging in size from $40,000 for smaller school districts to $100,000 for larger districts.

• Clinton-Gore Livability Agenda: Building Livable Communities for the 21st Century: Introduction
• Clinton-Gore Livability Agenda: Building Livable Communities for the 21st Century--Press Release
• Remarks as Prepared for Delivery by Vice President Al Gore, Monday, January 11, 1999