Faced with increased enrollments and spurred by State efforts to reduce class size, public school districts across California need to build new schools and expand or renovate existing school facilities. The primary responsibility for these activities rests with local school districts. They must:

• Analyze enrollment trends
• Assess their facilities needs
• Plan for new facilities
• Provide local financing
• Carry out their own construction projects

Public school construction projects must comply with many different State and Federal laws and regulations. Five State entities play major roles in approving and funding local school construction. These are:

• The Office of Public School Construction, within the Department of General Services
• The School Facilities Planning Division of the California Department of Education
• The Department of Toxic Substances Control, within the California Environmental Protection Agency
• The Division of the State Architect, within the Department of General Services
• The State Allocation Board

Seven other State agencies operate approximately 40 programs that also may become involved under certain conditions. The number of entities involved can make the process of building or remodeling a school extremely complex and time-consuming. This website summarizes the entire PSCP in a logical and understandable way, and walks you through all the steps needed to construct or modify a school building.

This website includes general information on the agencies involved in each phase of the PSCP. For detailed information about the requirements of each of the State entities, please contact them directly.