Design & Build Modular Blog

Obama Unaware of State of the Art Portable Classrooms

Posted on 20. Oct, 2011 by Glenn Cort in Education, Green Building, Temporary/Relocatable Modular

Recently, while visiting a school in Richmond VA, President Obama remarked, “We shouldn’t have people teaching in trailers. We shouldn’t have kids learning in trailers. They should have classrooms with Internet and science labs.”

This perception is sadly so typical and the President could have followed up by saying, “I know there are also modular green schools for temporary use that exist – I look forward to learning more about them and why they are not in greater use”.  He could have followed by saying, “In fact, the use of portable classrooms and buildings of high quality, built to the highest standards for student health and learning, can make a lot of sense given they are an affordable option, flexible for movement within districts and can be financed or leased with more ideal terms than conventional stick build construction.”

Parents and Teachers Speak Out

Mr. Obama, state legislators, city leaders and design build community; please listen to what parents, teachers and administrators at the Newman Elementary School in Needham, Massachusetts are saying about their new modular classrooms:

“A huge thank you from the Newman staff to everyone involved.  We have been so impressed with how well this team has worked together to create this beautiful space for our students!!  You have gone above and beyond in supporting our needs and we are truly grateful!  Thank you all very much! Amazing work!” – Jessica Peterson, Principal

“My son is a fifth grader at Newman. We went to meet our new teacher and were surprised at how the modulars turned out, in a good way! The modulars are spacious, bright, and exceeded my expectations. The school years started on time, and the kids were excited. The parents and teachers expressed how happy they were with the new space and it really was a great “meet the teacher” day!!! Kudos to all the people that worked so hard to get that space ready for our kids. It is definitely a job well done.” – Parent

“Traditional school construction costs are difficult to support in this economic climate. Continued cost escalation is eroding the ability of communities to meet the facilities needs of their school systems. Modular is an intriguing, cost-effective construction method that every town and city should consider incorporating into its planning. Modular construction, when done correctly, is comparable in quality to traditional construction, will dramatically reduce on-site construction time and will deliver significant cost savings.” – Richard Thuma, Project Manager of Newman School

Today’s Modular Classrooms – Part of the Solution

Declining budgets are putting enormous pressure on city officials to think creatively.  Schools across the country are in need of renovation, updated systems and infrastructure.  Modular portable classrooms are a logical part of the solution.  Only the oldest trailers acquired many years ago that were used longer than their original purpose are a part of the problem.  Today’s modular classrooms are state-of-the-art learning facilities, WITH internet and science labs, where students thrive in a rich learning environment and are NOT the “trailers” President Obama references above.

Tags: green schools, Modular Classrooms, Portable Classrooms