The U.S. Secretary of Education addresses the problem of school building deterioration in the United States, as reported by the General Accounting Office; and governmental responses to funding modernization efforts. The report lists three conditions necessary for designing new schools: school design should support an economy in which learning is a lifelong process; the design should be flexible to allow for technological and educational changes; and school designing should reflect political and economic realities. Use of the Qualified Zone Academy Bonds initiative to extend federal support to communities with school buildings that are too old to renovate is offered as a potential solution. (GR)