Our goal is to be able to renovate, within 10 years, 40,000 to 44,000 schools, and thus support municipalities, departments and regions.” This is what Emmanuel Macron promised in September 2023. A statement that echoed a « important ecological restoration project of the school » announced a few months earlier, in April 2023, by the President of the Republic. In detail, the government aims to renovate 2,000 schools (primary schools, middle schools, high schools extra-scholastic structures) by the end of 2024 and 10,000 by 2027 out of the 53,000 establishments identified in France.
A first objective partially achieved: “In a year and a half our program EduRenov 2,009 projects were funded, namely 1,442 schools, 76 middle schools and 322 high schools”, he informs us Olivier Sichel Deputy Director General of the Caisse des Dépôts and Director of the Banque des Territories. However, it is impossible to quantify the number of construction sites that have emerged from the ground, he specifies, thus qualifying the result of this first assessment.
A multitude of funding
However, school renovation seems to be accelerating. “Over the past 24 months, we have supported 410 projects, an increase of around 20% compared to 2022,” notes Augustin Bouet, vice-president of the Public Sector and Business division at Hellio, a company specializing in energy renovation. A dynamic that can be explained in part by a “change in mentality among mayors,” emphasizes Olivier Sichel. Previously, opening a new school was rewarding. From now on, there is real awareness of this. artificialization of the territory and the renovation is better regarded by residents.”
Another factor: the range of mechanisms that exist to finance this type of work. In addition to the Banque des Territoires’ EduRenov plan – with a €2 billion loan envelope – the Caisse des Dépôts management has also put on the table, in 2023, €50 million in engineering loans over five years to help communities complete their projects. At this stage, €340 million in loans have been granted under the EduRenov plan and €15 million for engineering.
The government’s ambition is also based on the green fund, which has two billion euros to subsidise local authorities in energy renewal and sobriety projects. Finally, there is the possibility for municipalities to turn to the Banque des Territoires to contract a specific loan called « the engaging ». A system that, for example, allowed Florian Bercault (DVG), mayor of Laval (Mayenne), to finance the renovation of the Jules Verne school. “Without this mechanism, this work would not have been possible in the short term,” he explains. What is special about this loan? The repayment of the sums supported is made through energy saving completed. “We will have a return on investment in 12 years,” says the city’s mayor. In the end, by insulating the exterior walls of this 314-student school and installing LED lights, the facility cut its energy bill in half, according to the Hellio company that supported the city in this project. Total cost of the work: 350,000 euros.
Please note that the Local Investment Support Grant (DSIL) and the Rural Equipment Grant (DETR) can also support school renovation projects and be combined with the Green Fund.
Economic and structural obstacles
However, some municipalities still struggle to complete projects that are too expensive. On average, a complete renovation costs a rural school (1,500 m2/five – six classes) between 1.5 and 2.2 million euros, or more than 1,500 euros per square meter. A substantial budget that forces cities to spread their renovation projects over a period of ten years. “The mayors also told us that construction companies in their area are overloaded, which adds an element of disruption to the proper development of a local renewal plan,” informs the Banque des Territories.
The institution tends to be optimistic since “1,900 new projects are currently being identified with 825 calls for tenders underway”, defends Olivier Sichel. A pace that will allow us to reach 4,000 financed practices in 2025. From there to the achievement of the objectives set by the executive? Elected officials are more skeptical, due to the 400 million euro cut in the green fund decided by the government last February. “We are concerned about the future of the green fund and these are the municipalities that risk toasting if budget cuts are decided », launches Frédéric Leturque, mayor of Arras (several centers) and co-president of the Education commission of the Association of Mayors of France (AMF). Especially given the current public deficit, the government could reduce its budget again in favor of the ecological transition.