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Your district may want or need to contact numerous agencies and departments, depending on the particular circumstances of your project. In some cases, these agencies may have special expertise that may be of help to your district. In other cases, the agencies may be responsible for a special problem or location that involves your proposed school project. Probably the easiest way of determining whom you should or must contact is to ask yourself the following questions. Following each question is an identification of the agency involved, a brief discussion of how it will help your district's project, and the means of contacting it for more detailed information.
The School Facilities Planning Division (SFPD) offers various publications to help your school district determine school educational specifications or program offerings. For more information, please visit the publications area on the SFPD website at http://www.cde.ca.gov/ls/fa/sf/publication.asp.
The State Allocation Board (SAB) and the Office of Public School Construction (OPSC) maintain model school designs. The Division of the State Architect (DSA) has approved plans for these designs. By studying these, your district may gain some insight into how best to design and construct its new school. Better yet, your district can save a great deal of time in the approval process by adopting one of these designs as your own. For more information, please visit the Prototype School Designs page at http://planupload.dgs.ca.gov/CASchoolsHome.Asp.
The "Bright Schools Program" of the California Energy Commission (CEC) helps school districts identify ways to reduce energy use. Whether your district plans to build a new school or modernize an existing one, the CEC can provide money-saving ideas and services that will reduce the school's energy costs. From design consultation, to energy audits and feasibility studies, to assisting with contractor selection, and even financing assistance and loans, Bright Schools can be a real help. For example, the program helped the Live Oak Unified School District reduce its energy use by 20 percent and save $56,000 in energy costs annually. Similarly, schools in the Beverly Hills Unified School District and the San Pasqual Union School District are shaving 102 percent off their annual energy expenses. For best results, your district should contact Bright Schools during the early planning stages of its project.
In addition, the CEC and the Division of the State Architect (DSA) can refer you to other resources such as the Savings By Design program sponsored by investor-owned utilities, or the Collaborative for High Performance Schools (CHPS). For more information, please visit the CEC website at www.energy.ca.gov.
As part of its materials reuse and recycling mission, the California Integrated Waste Management Board (CIWMB) offers expertise in "green building" design, construction, and operation. The CIWMB can provide help and information regarding:
- Demolition at a site where buildings already exist
- Positioning buildings to take advantage of a site's features, which can yield considerable resource efficiencies and savings
- Efficient use of building construction materials
- Efficient landscaping that generates minimal debris, which can be managed on site
- Incorporating high-quality, low-emission, recycled content products into new construction and operations
School districts proposing to construct or operate certain solid waste management facilities such as green waste composting, materials recovery, or landfill, must obtain permit approval from their local environmental enforcement agency and the CIWMB. For more information, please visit the CIWMB website at www.ciwmb.ca.gov.
You may be eligible for additional financial assistance.
If your school's project will disturb five or more acres of land, your district must contact one of the Regional Water Quality Control Boards to obtain a storm water permit and comply with a Storm Water Pollution Prevention Plan, which the Water Board will approve and monitor. For more information on regional water control boards, please visit the Regional Water Quality Control Boards website at www.swrcb.ca.gov/regions.html, or contact the appropriate regional board. For additional information about the State Water Resources Control Board, please visit the Board website at www.swrcb.ca.gov.
If your district plans to build within 1,000 feet of an abandoned waste disposal site, you should contact the California Integrated Waste Management Board (CIWMB) of the California Environmental Protection Agency (Cal/EPA) during your pre-construction planning. No school can be built on or near solid waste dumps unless biological and toxin cleanup occurs. The CIWMB will investigate and address such potential problems as landfill gas migration, hazardous heavy metal residues, and slope stability. For more information, please visit the CIWMB website at www.ciwmb.ca.gov.
If your district's proposed school site is located within two miles of any point on an airport runway or potential runway included in an airport master plan, you must complete SFPD Form 4.01 as part of the Site Approval process. The California Department of Education (CDE) is required to provide the Caltrans Aeronautics Program with written notice of your site's proximity to the airport. For more information on the Caltrans Aeronautics Program's involvement in Site Approval, see the environmental review task in Site Approval. For more information on the Caltrans Aeronautics Program, please visit the Program website at www.dot.ca.gov/hq/planning/aeronaut.
If your school district is located in an agricultural community where pesticide use is common, you may wish to contact the Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR) in the California Environmental Protection Agency (Cal/EPA). The DPR can help to:
- Assess pesticide exposure
- Evaluate the extent of pesticide residue in soil or groundwater
- Guide you in the establishment of "buffer zones" around your proposed school project
Such advice can be invaluable before your district begins construction. For more information, please visit the DPR website at www.cdpr.ca.gov.
The Division of Land Resource Protection (DLRP) within the Department of Conservation (DOC) is responsible for administering the California Land Conservation Act, more popularly known as the "Williamson Act." Under the Act, it is State policy to avoid locating any public improvement projects-including schools-within protected agricultural preserves. The DLRP provides school districts with Williamson Act maps, and assists districts in finding alternative sites for school construction. If your district is contemplating building in, or your project will affect, a Williamson Act agricultural preserve, it is your responsibility to notify the DLRP during the site acquisition and planning phases. For more information, please visit the DLRP website at www.consrv.ca.gov/dlrp.
The Office of Historic Preservation (OHP) within the Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) will become involved in the school construction process under any of three conditions:
- If the CEQA review process reveals that there will be impact on historic resources
- If your project involves a qualified "historic school building"
- If your district wishes to use federal funds or needs a federal license to proceed with construction, and the federal agency determines that your project could affect historic properties
Because any adverse impact on historic properties must be addressed, and mitigated or eliminated, if possible, it is important for school districts to consult with the Office early in the project planning and site acquisition phase. For more information, please visit the OHP website at http://ohp.parks.ca.gov.
Every school construction project in the coastal zone must have a coastal zone development permit from the California Coastal Commission. These permits certify that the proposed project is consistent with the policy mandates of the California Coastal Act. Typically, school districts are referred to the Commission by their local governments whenever necessary, but it is very important that districts coordinate with the Commission early in the site selection and project design phases of their projects. For more information, please visit the Commission website at http://www.coastal.ca.gov/.
Although extremely rare, the involvement of the Delta Protection Commission (DPC) in a school construction project is possible if local government action is required for the approval of the project in the Delta. The Delta includes parts of Contra Costa, Sacramento, San Joaquin, Solano, Stanislaus, and Yolo Counties. Local government actions must be consistent with the DPC's comprehensive plan for protecting and enhancing existing land uses in the Delta, including agriculture, wildlife habitat, and recreation. For more information, please visit the DPC website at www.delta.ca.gov.
If your proposed project could potentially affect a lake, stream, or any officially designated endangered species of fish or wildlife, your district will want to contact the Department of Fish and Game (DFG) early in the planning and site selection process. If the final construction design affects any endangered species, you will need an Incidental Take Permit. For example, the Bakersfield School District worked with the Department to avoid affecting the San Joaquin kit fox; West Hills Community College received help in avoiding negative impacts to local wetlands. For more information, please visit the DFG website at www.dfg.ca.gov. Locations of threatened or endangered species can be obtained by calling: 916.322.2493 or 916.324.3812.
If your project will involve development of, extraction of materials from, or any substantial change in use of the San Francisco Bay, its immediate shoreline, or the Suisun Marsh area of Solano County, you must secure a permit from the San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission (BCDC). In fact, most school construction projects within the BCDC's jurisdiction — even playground improvements — require a permit. School districts are encouraged to contact the BCDC early in the planning and design stages. For more information, please visit the BCDC website at www.bcdc.ca.gov/.
Your district will probably want to know about:
- The structural integrity and safety of the dam(s)
- Whether your proposed site is in a dam failure inundation area
- The likely severity of a dam failure
- The impact a dam failure would have on student safety
The Division of Safety of Dams in the Department of Water Resources has this information and will share it with your district upon request. For more information, please visit the Division website at http://damsafety.water.ca.gov.
The Division of Mines and Geology (DMG) within the Department of Conservation (DOC) provides recommendations and information in support of safe school sites and building design, especially with respect to seismic and other geological hazards. The DMG typically gets involved with the school construction process only when asked to do so by another State agency (generally triggered by a problem in your project's Environmental Impact Report). However, your school district may contact the DMG for assistance directly, either before you purchase a school site or in the design phase of your project. For more information, please visit the DMG website at www.consrv.ca.gov.
Although the Air Resources Board of the Cal/EPA has no direct regulatory authority over the siting of schools, if air quality is an issue, you can contact the Board for advice in the planning phase of your project. Because the Board monitors and oversees air pollution control efforts through local Air Quality Management Councils around the state, the Board can often tell you the status of such efforts in your area. For more information, please visit the ARB website at www.arb.ca.gov.
The Department of Health Service's Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) program has no formal involvement in the school construction process, but can provide guidance and technical information to school project designers or school officials on how to improve indoor air quality. For example, the IAQ program has consulted with school board members of the Beverly Hills Unified School District on exposure and testing for formaldehyde in portable classrooms, and with the Oakland Unified School District on how to mitigate mold contamination. The Air Resources Board (ARB) at Cal/EPA also has expertise in indoor air quality and will provide advice to school project designers and builders concerning the selection of building materials, equipment, and furnishings in new or modernized school buildings. For more information, please visit the IAQ website at www.cal-iaq.org or the ARB website at www.arb.ca.gov.
If your district is undertaking a modernization project where exposure to lead is a possibility, or if there is reason to believe that the school's drinking water should be tested for lead, your district should contact the Department of Health Service (DHS) Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Branch (CLPPB). Although the Department has no oversight responsibilities for school construction, it has collaborated with and offered advice to a number of school districts around the state when there was reason to believe lead poisoning was a possible or potential problem. For more information, visit the DHS website at www.dhs.ca.gov/childlead.
Relatively few schools choose to operate their own water systems. If your school does, the Department of Health Service (DHS) Drinking Water Program would issue a water system permit, provide regulatory oversight, and be involved in all phases of the project. Typically, your school district would initiate contact with the Program, but the Program's actual interaction would occur with the engineering firm you hire to construct the water system. For more information, please visit the Program website at www.dhs.ca.gov/ps/ddwem/technical/dwp/dwpindex.htm.
Your school district must contact one of the Regional Water Quality Control Boards, who will act as regulators, issue required federal permits, and may require clean-up of soil and/or groundwater. For more information on regional water control boards, please visit the Regional Water Quality Control Boards website at www.swrcb.ca.gov/regions.html, or the appropriate regional board.
By law, any public works project, including school construction, must pay what are known as "prevailing wage rates." Generally, the "prevailing wage" is the union-scale wage paid in a particular local area. The Division of Labor Statistics and Research (DLSR) in the Department of Industrial Relations (DIR) determines and publishes these rates and will provide them to school districts upon request. Please see Compliance with Laws and Regulations for further information on the school construction phase. For more information, please visit the DLSR website at www.dir.ca.gov/DLSR/statistics_research.html.
The Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board (OSHSB) of the Department of Industrial Relations (DIR) can provide information on safety standards relevant to school construction, and is the only agency in California authorized to amend or repeal such standards. Any school district seeking a variance from applicable standards must submit an application and demonstrate at an administrative hearing that the school's proposed method of varying from a particular health or safety requirement provides equal or superior safety. The OSHSB will provide your school district with the information you need to apply for variances. For more information, please visit the OSHSB website at www.dir.ca.gov/oshsb/oshsb.html.
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