Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Climate Resilient Schools Act Moves Forward in California Senate

  • By Matt Jones
  • 08/19/24

California Senate Bill 1182, the Climate Resilient Schools Act, recently passed the Assembly Appropriations Committee and will now face a vote on the Assembly Floor, according to a news release. The bill by Senate Majority Leader Lena Gonzalez will mandate the California Energy Commission to coordinate state agencies to create a comprehensive master plan to balance school facility funding with the state’s decarbonization, heat mitigation, and climate adaption goals.

“Students and their families deserve schools that offer a quality learning environment. With severe weather becoming more frequent in recent years due to climate change that also means updating our school facilities to handle these growing challenges,” said Senator Lena Gonzalez. “I am thankful to the incredible organizations and community leaders who have helped us get this far, and I urge my Assembly colleagues for their support on the Assembly Floor for the Climate Resilient Schools Act so that we can help prepare our schools for the future.”

The bill’s goal is to ensure that schools—and their budgets—are ready to face potential climate-related threats like extreme heat, flooding, wildfire smoke, and more. The news release reports that billions of dollars in federal money from the Infrastructure Investment in Jobs Act, the Inflation Reduction Act, and a potential School Facilities Bond to be passed in November are currently available.

“We need a plan to ensure our schools are better prepared for smoke days, extreme heat, potential airborne illness, and other environmental challenges we are experiencing. I’m glad to see SB 1182 come off suspense and head to the Assembly Floor,” said Jeff Freitas, President of the California Federation of Teachers union.

About the Author

Matt Jones is senior editor of Spaces4Learning. He can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • Wold Architects & Engineers Acquires VPS Architecture

    Full-service planning, architecture, and engineering firm Wold Architects & Engineers recently announced that it has acquired VPS Architecture, according to a news release. The move will help strengthen Wold’s education and public-sector design expertise, industries in which both companies have strong pre-existing ties and relationships.

  • Harvard Announces Replacement Facility for Native American Program

    Harvard University in Cambridge, Mass., recently announced that construction will begin this spring on a new home for its Native American Program, according to university news. The 6,500-square-foot, all-electric building will stand three stories and serve as the central hub for the Harvard University Native American Program (HUNAP).

  • Photo credit - Chuck Coates

    Florida District Modernizes Central Energy Plants at Two High Schools

    Flagler Schools, a public school district in Flagler County, Fla., recently partnered with Matern Professional Engineering to modernize the central energy plants at two of its high schools, according to a news release. The project is part of a larger, district-wide effort to reduce energy costs and operational expenses.

  • 144-Year-Old High-School Campus Debuts New Academic Facility

    San Diego High School (SDHS) in San Diego, Calif., recently held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for a new student services and classroom building; the project is part of a larger SDHS Whole Site Modernization project that began in 2022.