Healthy, High Performance School Facilities:

Developments in State Policy

California

Citation: California Education Code §§17070.96, 101012 (California Assembly Bill No. 207); 2 Cal Code Regs. §§ 1859.70.4, 1859.71.6
Effective: 2006
Available: Law, Regulations

This bill allocates $7.3 billion in state-issued general obligation bonds for K-12 new school construction and modernization projects, as approved by voters during statewide general elections in November 2006. The bill also incorporates a significant financial incentive program for healthy, high performance schools, to take effect after the bond measure is approved.

The bill designates $100 million for incentive grants for high performance schools. The grants are available for projects that incorporate designs, plans and materials to “promote the efficient use of energy and water, the maximum use of natural lighting and indoor air quality, the use of recycled materials and materials that emit a minimum of toxic substances, the use of acoustics conducive to teaching and learning, and other characteristics of high-performance schools.” In addition to providing this financial incentive program, the law directs all school districts that apply for new state construction funding to certify that they have at least considered the feasibility of incorporating these high performance goals into their school construction projects. Regulations adopted under the law establish the minimum criteria for receiving a grant, including the minimum IAQ-related criteria, as well as the formula for calculating the amount of the grant. Based on the overall number of criteria (points) attained, the high performance school incentive grants can increase a school’s base grant quantity by two to about ten percent.

Back to Healthy, High Performance School Facilities: Developments in State Policy