Districts can now begin efforts to build education workforce housing with less red tape

Survey after survey, study after study, lack of affordable housing close to the campuses in which they work continues to be one of the most cited reasons for why teachers and other school employees leave their positions or the education field entirely. This presents a […]

CSBA webinar gives local context to COVID relief spending report

CSBA hosted a webinar on July 12 to discuss its new report, Unprecedented Times, Unprecedented Responses: An Analysis of Federal COVID-19 Relief Fund Spending in California Public Schools. District leaders detailed their experiences during the event and CSBA staff shared how board members can effectively […]

CSBA Climate Change Task Force releases report on addressing climate change

Social-emotional trauma and disruptions to their educational experiences due to extreme weather events such as wildfires, floods and drought have hindered the academic achievement of a multitude of K-12 students in California over the last few years.  Beyond that, the physical damages to facilities suffered […]

School facilities funding distribution is inequitable despite significant need

California’s K–12 school facilities require significant new and ongoing investments, but current funding streams are neither consistent nor equitable in ensuring all students have access to safe and effective learning environments, according to a new report from the Public Policy Institute of California. The report […]

School Facilities Program audit finds underfunding and inequity

To help ensure that the state’s approximately 10,500 schools have safe facilities in which to learn, California provides funding to school districts for facility construction, modernization and alteration through the School Facilities Program. The California State Auditor on Jan. 27 released an audit of the […]

Federal office finds high-need schools require more disaster recovery support

School districts that serve more students of color, economically disadvantaged youth and other vulnerable groups are more likely to have relied on emergency aid to recover from natural disasters like floods, fires and storms, according to new research from the federal Government Accountability Office. Of […]

Turn on the tap! School drinking water access in COVID and beyond

By Wasan Kumar, Anisha Patel, and Christina Hecht Should drinking fountains be turned off because of the COVID-19 pandemic? Public health experts say, “no.” Despite perceived concerns by some, the virus causing COVID-19 has not been found to transmit through drinking water. Moreover, the risk […]

State of U.S. public school facilities is an emergency, report says

The state of American preK-12 public school facilities is a national emergency, according to new report. “2021 State of Our Schools: America’s PK-12 Public School Facilities” was published in September by 21st Century School Fund, the International WELL Building Institute and the National Council on […]

How to use American Rescue Plan funds to improve school ventilation

On July 23, the U.S. Department of Education released a resource guide, “Improving Ventilation in Schools, Colleges, and Universities to Prevent COVID-19.” With local educational agencies across the country preparing for a full return to in-person instruction for the 2021–22 school year, the document details […]