What's New

Proposition 51 CTE Facilities Program

A new Career Technical Education Facilities Program funding cycle to construct/modernize CTE facilities as well as purchase equipment is NOW available. Applications are now being accepted through December 2, 2019. A webinar overviewing the CTE Facilities Program application is available. Check out the CTE Facilities Program webpage for more information.

Applicants who have received a passing score letter from CDE under Prop 51 (cycle 4 or 5) may submit that score letter directly to OPSC for cycle 6 funding consideration if the budget is within 10% of the original budget included in the application submitted to CDE. If the project’s estimated budget exceeds the original cost estimate by more than 10%, the application will need to be updated and resubmitted to CDE for scoring.

Important Notice

Schools applying for cycle 6 CTEFP funds that have recently been affected by either power shut offs or fires may request a deadline extension by submitting a hard copy letter, signed by the District Superintendent, no later than November 22, 2019. Please provide an explanation of how the event(s) caused the completion of the application to be significantly delayed in the narrative. All deadline extension requests will be reviewed by CDE. If the request is approved, applicants will be granted a two week extension, moving the deadline to 12/16/19. Requests may be submitted to the following address:

John Gordon, Field Representative
School Facilities and Transportation Services Division
California Department of Education
1430 N Street, Suite 1201
Sacramento, CA 95814

Classroom Definition Policy: Updated January 1, 2020

This updated policy guides CDE’s review of plans and the number of classrooms noted in the CDE approval letter used in applying for funding from the School Facility Program.

Please check out the Classroom Definition Policy webpage for the updated policy.

Assembly Bill (AB) 203

Pursuant to the requirements of California Education Code Section 17254, the California Department of Education (CDE), and the Department of General Services’ (DGS) Division of the State Architect and the Office of Public School Construction are submitting a report titled “AB 203 Report: The Feasibility of Using a Common Application or Application Software for the Public School Construction Programs Administered by the California Departments of Education and General Services" regarding "the feasibility of using one application, or using a common application number" and "the feasibility of using a common software" for applicants to the agencies’ respective programs related to public school construction. In keeping with our commitment to encourage sustainability and conservation, this report is posted on the Office of Public School Construction webpage and is also linked on the CDE and DGS Web sites.

Stormwater

Senate Bill 541 (Chapter 811, Statutes of 2017) required the State Water Resources Control Board, in collaboration with local water quality control boards and the Division of the State Architect, to recommend best design and use practices for stormwater and dry weather runoff water capture practices on school sites. "The Guidance for Stormwater and Dry Weather Runoff CAPTURE at Schools – California Practices to Use Runoff Effectively", is now available on the State Water Resources Control Board Web page .

School districts are encouraged to review these best practices as they plan school construction and modernization.

Assembly Bill 1082

At the end of 2017, the California State Legislature passed, and the governor signed, Assembly Bill (AB) 1082 , which authorizes electric utilities to file applications to pilot the installation of charging stations for electric vehicles (EV) at school facilities and other educational institutions.

To discuss the EV charging opportunities provided by AB 1082 and what future EV pilot programs may offer, the California Department of Education facilitated a Webinar featuring Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E), San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) and Southern California Edison (SCE) on Monday, March 5, 2018 at 1:00 pm.

School Disaster Recovery

Natural disasters have the ability to affect hundreds of thousands of students, families, and school communities in California. Please visit the School Disaster Recovery Web page for a compilation of resources to assist local educational agencies in emergency response and recovery efforts. The Web page California Wildfires Statewide Recovery Resources from the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES) includes a Schools FAQ: Reopening Schools After Wildfires developed jointly by CDE and Cal OES. Other relevant resources are being developed and added as they become available for all types of disasters.

State Agency Workshops: School Planning, Design, and Funding Updates with Focused Assistance for Small School Districts

The California Department of Education (CDE), the Division of the State Architect (DSA), and the Office of Public School Construction (OPSC) are conducting free workshops across the state to provide information on school planning, design, and the availability of state funding to help Local Educational Agencies address their facility needs. These funds are from the recently passed Proposition 51. There will also be an opportunity for small school districts to directly address concerns and receive assistance.

Topics include the following:

Master planning and educational specifications
The process and requirements for each agency
Grant Agreements
Application processes moving forward
Career Technical Educational Facilities Filing Rounds

Each workshop will include a presentation by the agencies, a question & answer session, and breakout opportunities for school districts with more unique circumstances.

Schools for Health: Foundations for Student Success, A Report from the Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health

More than 40 years of scientific research has led to many insights about how the indoor environment influences student health, well-being, and productivity. School building conditions such as ventilation, indoor air quality (IAQ), thermal comfort, lighting and views, and acoustics and noise play an important role in a student’s ability to focus, process new information, and feel engaged at school. This report examines when and how these various building conditions affect a student and pays special attention to articulating the nuanced effects these parameters have on how our students feel, think, and perform. The full report can be found at the Schools for Health Web Site (PDF).

Title 5 School Siting and Design Standards Review

The current Title 5 regulations are available at Title 5, California Code of Regulations. An audio archive of the October 4, 2016 stakeholder presentation is available at Title 5 Webinar. This presentation provides a brief background on the Title 5 standards and the major concepts expressed previously by stakeholders.

Please periodically check the “What’s new page” for updates. Comments may also be submitted at: Title5@cde.ca.gov or via US Mail.

For questions, contact Fred Yeager at fyeager@cde.ca.gov.

Clean Water for Schools Program

For more information, please see the Waterboards Web site .

Tire Recycling, Cleanup, and Enforcement Grants

CalRecycle's tire grant programs are designed to encourage activities that promote reducing the number of waste tires going to landfills for disposal and eliminating the stockpiling of waste tires. Activities include tire pile cleanup and enforcement, market development and demonstration projects. Revenue for the grants is generated from a tire fee on each new tire sold in California.