What's New

Assembly Bill (AB) 841

The California Energy Commission (CEC) is responsible for developing, administering, and implementing the School Energy Efficiency Stimulus (SEES) Program authorized by AB 841 (Chapter 372, Statutes of 2020). SEES includes two new grant programs—the School Reopening Ventilation and Energy Efficiency Verification and Repair Program (SRVEVR) and the School Noncompliant Plumbing Fixture and Appliance Program (SNPFA).

As more information becomes available, CDE web resources will reflect these CEC programs. Local educational agencies and interested stakeholders can subscribe to the CEC’s list serv and review draft program guidelines on their SEES Program web page .

The California Governor's Office of Emergency Services (CalOES) Launches the Preparedness Ambassadors Program

The Preparedness Ambassadors curriculum is designed to engage 4th grade students to develop and promote disaster preparedness guidelines for their homes, schools, and local communities. For more information, please visit the CalOES Preparedness Ambassadors web page.

Changes in County Assignments

The School Facilities and Transportation Services Division (SFTSD) has made changes in the counties assigned to each Field Representative. Three new field representatives have been assigned counties allowing the SFTSD to provide greater technical assistance to districts and County Offices. The analysts assigned to each Field Representative have also changed. These assignments can be seen on our School Facilities Staff web page.

Projects submitted to the SFTSD for review on and after, July 1, 2020, will be reviewed based on these new assignments. Some projects received after July 1, 2020 may remain with the currently assigned Field Representative for continuity of services and to make the transition easier for districts.

Please contact the Field Representative currently (until June 30) assigned to your county with any questions about the transition.

Proposition 51 CTE Facilities Program

The Career Technical Education (CTE) Funding Cycle 6 scores are now available: CTE Facilities Program web page. Applications scoring 105 or higher should submit documentation online to the Office of Public School Construction by June 30, 2020 for funding consideration. Previous unfunded applications scoring 105 or higher from Cycles 4 and 5 are also eligible to apply. For more information, please go to the OPSC web page .

Collaborative Learning in 21st Century Learning Environments: Leveraging the Assets of Student Diversity

Flexible learning environments play a significant role in facilitating 21st century learning and improving student achievement. The following Power Point presentation (PDF) was featured during a workshop at the 2020 Coalition for Adequate School Housing Conference and includes a review of the literature on collaborative and interdisciplinary learning, linguistically and culturally responsive asset-based teaching methods, and school facilities research and best practices that optimize learning for diverse students.

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 web page 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 web page and is also linked on the CDE and DGS websites.

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 website (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 Title 5 Team at title5@cde.ca.gov.

Clean Water for Schools Program

For more information, please see the Waterboards website .

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.