Assembly Bill 2295 went into effect Jan. 1, 2024, carving out a clear pathway for districts and county offices of education to build employee housing on their land. This solution, often called education workforce housing (EWH), addresses the dual crises that more and more local […]
Category: facilities
New federal initiative announced to fund facilities upgrades
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) opened applications on March 20 for the 2024 Renew America’s Schools Prize, which will award $180 million to districts across the country engaging in strategic partnerships to build capacity and implement energy upgrades at K-12 schools that lower energy […]
National survey provides look at the state of school facilities
Survey findings released Feb. 15 by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) provide a snapshot of the state of aging school facilities nationwide. Of the 1,625 public schools surveyed in December, the average age of the main instructional building is 49 years, with 38 […]
Business Affiliate perspective: Burlingame school district to continue improving energy infrastructure
By CSBA Business Affiliate Climatec The Burlingame School District will break ground on its Energy Infrastructure and Sustainability Program Phase II in 2024. Burlingame schools will benefit from increased comfort, while on-site renewable energy generation and electrification improvements will reduce reliance on antiquated, gas-consuming equipment. […]
Bellflower USD trustee advocates for individuals with disabilities
How can local educational agencies better serve their students with disabilities? Bellflower Unified School District trustee Sue ElHessen, a long-time disability rights advocate, says some ways that question can be addressed is through education on the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), empowering students by teaching […]
Nature-based learning beneficial for young children
Nature is an ideal learning environment that can benefit young people in a multitude of ways, according to the report Nurturing All Children in Nature: Ideal Learning in the Natural World, released by the Trust for Learning in April. Research has shown that nature-based learning […]
Extreme weather events’ impact on students with disabilities
The National Council on Disability on May 4 released the report, The Impacts of Extreme Weather Events on People with Disabilities, which includes an overview of past emergencies and recommendations to support mitigation efforts aimed at lessening the effects of catastrophic natural disasters on the more […]
Grant funding available to create greener schoolyards
The September 2022 heatwave in California was the worst on record, with temperatures hitting up to 116 degrees in Sacramento, and multiple other cities experiencing temperatures of 110 degrees and above. This excessive heat has schools on high alert, with many installing and upgrading HVAC […]
New report calls for path to climate-resilient and sustainable schools
Recognizing demands from students and the urgent action needed to combat climate change, a statewide coalition of nearly 50 stakeholders — including doctors, medical and environmental health researchers, educators, youth and community groups, and other experts — convened in 2021 to examine the challenges of […]
New requirements promote access to drinking water in California schools
California will now require all newly constructed K-12 public schools, as well as any undergoing modernization, to provide water bottle filling stations. Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Assembly Bill 2638 (Bloom, D-Santa Monica) into law on Sept. 29, 2022, after it received unanimous approval in its […]