On August 31, 2010, in Sacramento, the California Strategic Growth Council (SGC) will host our first policy roundtable: Smart Schools for Sustainable Communities: Aligning Sustainable Communities Planning and Public Education in California, in Sacramento. One of the statutory objectives of the SGC is to recommend policies and investment strategies and priorities to the Governor, the Legislature and other state agencies. We as Californians highly value education and invest billions of dollars in constructing and operating our schools. Community quality and schools are intricately connected and greatly impact our children’s future. Yet, we have not thought strategically how we can connect our investment in building schools to leverage state goals in other areas including improving the quality of our communities, the environment, and the health of our children. I hope that you can join me for an interactive dialogue with state wide decision makers that I know will be engaging and informative.
Date: August 31, 2010
Time: 1-5pm
Location: Health Professions High School, 451 McClatchy Way, Sacramento, CA 95818 (Map/Directions: here)
GOALS
The overall goal of this half-day meeting is to bring together statewide leaders in education, planning, and policy to discuss promising strategies for connecting schools to the creation of healthy, sustainable communities in California. Our three key objectives include:
1. Learn about the federal Housing and Sustainable Communities programs and their connections to education
2. Identify key opportunities to better link schools to the creation of sustainable communities in California, including
- integrating schools into regional Sustainable Communities Strategies and local planning activities
- school siting, design, and green construction policies
- linking school curriculum and sustainable communities
3. Suggest policy strategies to leverage opportunities for improving educational experiences and realizing sustainable communities
BACKGROUND
California has been making tremendous financial and policy investments in improving educational quality and in making our cities and regions more livable and economically sound. Although schools and community quality are intricately connected, rarely do we think about linking policies across these sectors. This forum begins a conversation of doing so, building on recent statewide activities including the Senate Bill 375, federal Sustainable Housing and Communities Program, Senate Select Committee on School Facilities, and the California Department of Education’s new vision and guiding principles for school facilities that enhance achievement for all students.
This invitational state policy roundtable brings together the work of state, regional, and local agencies in the planning of sustainable communities and presents a unique opportunity to leverage California’s ongoing investments in educational innovations and school facilities. As state policy leaders and local communities work towards creating more economically resilient, vibrant, and sustainable communities, young people, and schools can, and should, play important roles.
The event is a collaboration between the Strategic Growth Council, California Department of Education (CDE), UC Berkeley’s Center for Cities & Schools, and other partnering state agencies.
This meeting will be limited in size to ensure that we have time and space to dialog and learn from one another. If you are able to join us, please RSVP to Anna Marie Young (annamarie.young@opr.ca.gov) by August 25, 2010.
An event description and tentative agenda are linked here: 2010 Smart Schools Aug 31 Agenda
I hope to see you on August 31st,
Heather Fargo
Executive Policy Officer
Strategic Growth Council