Markey, Jayapal Reintroduce Green New Deal for Public Schools to Invest in Students, Schools, and a Livable Future

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Washington (July 30, 2026) - Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), member of the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, and the Environment and Public Works Committee, alongside Congresswoman Jayapal (WA-07) today reintroduced the Green New Deal for Public Schools Act, legislation that would infuse $1.6 trillion over the next decade to transform our public school system - investing in students, educators, and infrastructure - and respond to the climate crisis.

"Every student in America deserves to learn in a school that lifts them up, not one that's falling down. Across the country, kids are trying to learn in buildings with broken heat, leaky roofs, and hazardous ventilation systems," said Senator Markey. "It's time that we reinvest in our students, our planet, and our future. The Green New Deal for Public Schools Act is a step toward building up the next generation of leaders by securing educational justice, health justice, and environmental justice all in one."

"Public schools and a strong education system are the bedrock of our democracy. However, for decades, as school buildings have crumbled, as classes have doubled or tripled in size, and as the Trump administration has chipped away at programs to support kids' mental health, American schools have fallen behind. In the richest country in the world, we should have the best public school system in the world. The Green New Deal for Public Schools, which I'm proud to lead with Senator Markey, would make investments in safe, healthy, zero-carbon, classrooms to lift up our students, teachers, administrators, and entire public education system," said Congresswoman Jayapal.

The Green New Deal for Public Schools Act would invest $1.6 trillion in public and Bureau of Indian Education schools over the next ten years to revitalize the K-12 education system and reduce hazardous pollution. It would also reverse harmful disinvestment in the public school system by investing in schools serving low-income students, tripling funding to support students with disabilities, and giving schools the resources to hire hundreds of thousands of educators, paraprofessionals, and staff - including counselors to support student mental health. Investments from the Green New Deal for Public Schools Act would create 1.3 million jobs annually and eliminate 78 million metric tons of carbon emissions, which is equivalent to taking 17 million cars off the road.

Specifically, the Green New Deal for Public Schools Act would:

• Establish grants for healthy green retrofits of public schools, including modifications to optimize air quality, ensure clean air and water, and improve energy efficiency with priority given to highest-need schools
• Ensure school upgrades support safe, well-paid union jobs with project labor, prevailing wage, and registered apprenticeship protections
• Invest $250 billion in hiring thousands of new teachers, paraprofessionals, and mental health counselors to ensure every student receives a quality education and the support they need
• Fully fund the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and quadruple funding for schools serving predominantly low-income students to fulfill Congress' promise to every student

"As we face a catastrophic climate crisis caused by unchecked corporate greed, we need to center children and their future. What this comes down to is whether we're willing and able to provide students with the resources they need to realize their brilliance and have a livable planet. Do we want to continue building a world based on militarization, incarceration, poverty, and destruction of resources? Or will we put our kids and educators first, and treat the climate crisis as the emergency it is? The Green New Deal for Public Schools Act would ensure the production and maintenance of safe and healthy learning and teaching environments for students, teachers, staff, caregivers, and the broader community - and represents the action we need to be on the right side of history," said Batul Hassan, Labor Director at Climate and Community Institute.

The Green New Deal for Public Schools Act is cosponsored by Senators Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.). and Representatives Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), Valerie Foushee (NC-04), Mike Quigley (IL-05), Chellie Pingree (ME-01), Bennie Thompson (MS-02), Rashida Tlaib (MI-12), Dan Goldman (NY-10), Delia Ramirez (IL-03), Chuy García (IL-04), Shri Thanedar (MI-13), Troy Carter (LA-02), Lateefah Simon (CA-12), Paul Tonko (NY-20), and Mark Pocan (WI-02).

The legislation is endorsed by the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), National Education Association (NEA), Service Employees International Union (SEIU), American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), U.S. Green Building Council, Food & Water Watch, Education Law Center, Citizens for Public Schools, Climate and Community Institute, and Sierra Club.

Senator Markey has long been a leading champion for climate action, as the initial Senate sponsor of the Green New Deal, and has fought for legislation and funding to address the injustices surrounding environmental policy.

• On July 28, Senator Markey joined with Representative Ro Khanna (CA-17) to reintroduce the Green New Deal for Health Act, which would equip our country's healthcare system to respond to the growing impacts of climate change and ensure all Americans have access to reliable care in their communities.
• On July 15, Senator Markey applauded the Senate's unanimous passage of the Older Americans Act (OAA) Reauthorization Act, which included provisions from the Senator's bills to allow home modification funding to be used for weatherization projects and improving the air quality of older Americans' homes and residences.
• In April 2026, Senator Markey introduced a package of legislation during Earth Week to address maternal and infant mortality, support climate change education and awareness for students, support youth leadership in federal environmental decision-making, provide frontline workers with hazard pay during disasters, and protect seniors by enabling safer and more resilient homes.
• In July 2025, Senator Markey introduced a resolution and the Climate Change Health Protection and Promotion Act to recognize climate change as a growing threat to public health and create a coordinated federal strategy to protect communities from worsening climate-fueled harms.

Through his work on the Inflation Reduction Act, Senator Markey helped create the largest and most significant climate and clean energy investments in history, putting the United States on a path to address the climate crisis, repair historic harms to disadvantaged communities, and create good-paying union jobs in the clean energy economy.

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