ABSTRACT
In Chapter 1, Paulson and Barnett ask who is responsible for the environmental
health of schools. The Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA), the
product of liberals trying to bring organization and efficiency to school con-
struction, is an “off-label” and only partial answer to the question. The MSBA,
established in 2004, has lent its ear to health and safety advocates who saw an
opportunity to implement regulations, guidelines, and education reforms at the
level of school construction. The MSBA’s progressiveness offers an intriguing
example to localities and states across the United States facing the dual crisis
of attacks on public education and financial inefficiency. However, the MSBA
is still in its infancy and not without its critics among municipal auditors, archi-
tects, and building contractors. Time will tell whether the MSBA, viewed as a
limited state pilot program, can survive and expand its integration of environ-
mental health programs or whether the MSBA’s initiative is only as good as its
current leadership.
