Helping Schools and Universities Make the Most of COVID-19 Relief Funding

The signing of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 marked an important milestone for our country, with the historic $1.9 trillion package providing a massive infusion of funds for schools across the U.S. This includes approximately $123 billion for K-12 schools and $40 billion for higher education. Of this, nearly $12 billion has been allocated for education in New York State.

Bergmann has a long-standing history of providing design and engineering services for education clients across the State. Since the start of the pandemic members of the firm's Education Practice have worked closely with schools, districts and universities to implement both short- and long-term solutions, including comprehensive buildings assessments that have uncovered important opportunities for changes to both design of space and quality of air flow. Education Practice Leader Jim Hickey, AIA, and Principal of Higher Education, Valerie Christianson, AIA, PMP, have both been following ARPA closely and emphasize the importance of this funding.

"Getting students of all ages back to the classroom, and back safely, is one of the most important actions we should be focused on," stated Jim. "In the work we've done in recent months we know that one of the most critical aspects involves mechanical systems; air flow and air quality. We're often working with older buildings that have had minimal-to-no recent systems updates, adding to both the need and challenge associated with creating learning environments that we can truly consider safe. This all takes dollars, which the signing of ARPA provides."

The team is hopeful that these new funds will give education clients the resources they've needed to start making necessary updates. With information and resources about ARPA education support spread across government and informational websites, the team researched the funding details and created an easy-to-reference ARPA Education Funding Fact Sheet, available now via this link.

Learn more about Bergmann's perspective on ARPA Funding and approach to designing healthy education environments.

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For more than four decades, Bergmann architects, engineers and planners have been delivering results to clients across the United States and Canada. This team of more than 450 professionals spans the Northeast, Midwest and Atlantic regions. Bergmann develops connections with partners and communities to create dynamic, creative solutions that will stand the test of time, while promoting environmental and functional sustainability. Projects in the Bergmann portfolio range from signature buildings and commercial developments to critical transportation infrastructure and community planning.