SECTION 3 - Planning & Teamwork for Success

SCHOOL SITE SELECTION

The importance of school site selection
Selecting the most appropriate site for a school is an important consideration for a school district and the school community. The location, size, and shape of a school site can materially affect the educational program and opportunities for students. Because program needs differ, school districts must carefully develop selection criteria with the requirements of the local school program in mind. The selection must be based not only on current needs but also on projected needs.

The California Department of Education (CDE) "School Site Selection and Approval Guide, (2000)" can help school districts (1) select school sites that provide both a safe and a supportive environment for the instructional program and the learning process; and (2) gain state approval for the selected site. To help in the selection process, the guide includes a set of selection criteria that have proven helpful to site selection teams. The guide also contains information about safety factors that should be considered when evaluating potential school sites and about the procedures school districts must follow to gain approval from the Department for new sites and for additions of land areas to existing sites.

The Role of the California Department of Education
California Education Code Section 17251 outlines the powers and duties of the CDE and the California Code of Regulations (CCR), Title 5, Sections 14001–14012 lists CDE established standards regarding school site selection. Sections 14030 through 14035 outline the standards for the design of school buildings. Site and Plan approval from the CDE must be granted before the State Allocation Board (SAB) will apportion funds. Districts using only local funds are encouraged to seek the Department's approval for the benefits that such outside, objective reviews provide to the school district and the community, but they must comply with Title 5 whether seeking the CDE's approval or not.

Selecting the Proper Site
When a school district decides to select a new school site, two basic questions must be addressed: (1) Who will be responsible for the school site selection process? (2) What criteria will be considered in selecting the site? This article contains information that school districts can use to answer those questions.

Determining Who Will Select the Site
A key decision the school district must make is whether the site will be selected by district staff or through a selection team process. The CDE suggests that a selection team recommend a site or sites to the local board of education. If the school district establishes a site selection team, the team should include community members, teachers, administrators, public officials, and the architect selected by the school district to design the project. The community members should include people with and without children in the district. A consultant from the CDE is available to advise the district on the formation of the team. Some school districts include a school board member as part of the team. By following this selection process, the committee may become somewhat large but should produce a better school site as a result. Once the composition of the selection team is determined, one of its first tasks will be to establish site selection criteria.

Developing Local Site Selection Criteria
School site selection is affected by many factors, including health and safety, location, size, and cost. Those persons responsible for the school site selection will have to evaluate both the present characteristics and the possible future characteristics of a site and its surrounding property. Because the site selection team often is unable to locate a site that meets all the criteria agreed on, it should set priorities and be prepared to make certain compromises. In addition, the team must weigh those site characteristics that may adversely affect the choice. Careful assessment takes time, but the importance of each decision justifies the attention. A public comment period should be incorporated into the process to receive information and support from the broader community for both the primary alternatives and the recommended site or sites.

In developing the site selection criteria, the school district's master plan and educational specification documents should also be reviewed.

District Master Plan
A school district's facility master plan provides important information for the selection committee on where new sites are needed based on an analysis of the school district's demographics, potential growth rates, and capacities at existing school sites. In addition, many cities and counties have designated future school sites on general plan land use maps that the team should evaluate.

Educational Specifications
The school district's educational specification will provide information on the educational program and building program requirements, such as grade configuration of schools (K–5, K–8, etc.), desired enrollment, specific program requirements (multitrack year-round schedules, single or double session kindergarten, class size, etc.), and other factors that will affect the size and general location of schools.

Screening and Ranking Criteria
To help focus and manage the site selection process, the CDE developed screening and ranking procedures which can be used to compare candidate alternative sites. The procedures were created on the basis of the following criteria, which are listed in the general order of importance:

1. Safety
2. Location
3. Environment
4. Soils
5. Topography
6. Size and Shape
7. Accessibility
8. Public Services
9. Utilities
10. Cost
11. Availability
12. Public Acceptance

An explanation of these criteria is in Appendix A of the "School Site Selection and Approval Guide (2000)", Site Selection Process. Appendix A also contains three work sheets created on the basis of a screening and ranking procedure developed by School Facilities Planning Division (SFPD) staff.

The first work sheet, Site Selection Criteria, outlines the 12 major criteria listed above, with several secondary criteria listed as subtopics. The secondary criteria have been designed to help the selection team define more clearly the factors that must be considered and understand better the types of data needed in the selection and acquisition of the school site. After considering both the primary and secondary criteria, the site selection team should be able to rank the sites in order of acceptability by completing the next two work sheets.

Evaluation and the Comparative Evaluation of Candidate Sites.
Although the criteria contained in Site Selection Criteria are not the only ones a site selection team should consider, the team might find those criteria useful when explaining to school boards and other interested entities how the selection process was accomplished. School districts purchasing the site with state funds will find the criteria helpful when screening available sites and in identifying at least three acceptable sites. The California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) requires that alternative sites be reviewed if an Environmental Impact Report (EIR) is prepared for the project.

Approval by the California Department of Education
All school districts must use the site selection standards specified in Title 5, Section 14010. School districts that will request state funding assistance are required to obtain approval of the site and plans by the CDE (Education Code Section 17070.50) prior to requesting funds from the SAB. The process for state funded districts obtaining CDE site approval is detailed in Title 5 Section 14011 and on the form SFPD 4.01. (PDF - 155KB) This process should be reviewed with all responsible parties early in the selection process to ensure all requirements are known and the person responsible for each requirement is identified.

In brief, the process to obtain a CDE site approval is:

1. Initiated by a school district's request, a CDE field representative's review, evaluation and ranking of district identified potential sites SFPD form 4.0 (PDF - 75KB)


2. School district selection of a preferred site


3. School district completion of required studies and processes (e.g., geohazards report, notification of planning commission, airport review request, The Department of Toxic Substances Control [DTSC] review, etc.)


4. Public hearing(s) and approval of the project's CEQA document and the project by the district board


5. School district submission of the approval request and project documents to CDE (see SFPD form 4.01 which lists all documents required for submittal)

The CDE encourages school districts to engage the CDE early in the process and to have frequent contact with the CDE throughout the site selection process.

Timing
The site approval process has many legal requirements and practical steps that a school district needs to schedule on a critical path method to ensure that all steps are met. Some activities may be conducted concurrently—review by the Department of Transportation, Division of Aeronautics if near an airport and a Phase I Environmental Assessment Report reviewed by the DTSC for example.

The time a school district may spend in identifying and selecting alternatives, preparing all required studies and reports and holding required hearings will vary based on the complexity of the issues and the familiarity of the school district staff responsible for the process. Typically, a school district should expect to spend at least 12 to 18 months in completing the process.

Legal and Regulatory Requirements (Note that not all applicable laws are cited here and school districts should always consult with legal counsel)

California Education Code
Several provisions of the California Education Code and California Public Resources Code specify required studies and processes in the analysis of potential school sites. The critical examples are summarized below. Go to http://www.leginfo.ca.gov for the full text

Sections 17210, 17213.1, 17213.2

These sections require, as a condition of state funding (and CDE approval), the preparation of an Environmental Health Assessment via a Phase I or a Preliminary Endangerment Assessment (PEA), performed with the oversight of the DTSC, to determine the presence and threat of hazardous materials, including those naturally occurring. A DTSC approved Response Action plan is required if cleanup of the site is necessary. A financial analysis of the costs of the cleanup is also required.

Section 17211

This section requires a school district governing board to evaluate, at a public meeting, prospective school sites prior to acquisition, using the site election criteria contained in the CCR, Title 5, Section 14010.

Section 17212

This section requires a school district to conduct a geological and soil engineering study prior to acquiring a site to assess any threat to public safety, or to determine whether removing risky geological elements is possible and economically feasible.

Section 17212.5

This section specifies that no school building be constructed on or relocated onto the trace of a geological fault and that a copy of the geological studies shall be submitted to both the CDE and the Division of the State Architect (DSA).

Section 17213

This section requires a school district's governing board, prior to approving acquisition, to secure credible information and determine that the site:

• (1) is not a current or former hazardous waste disposal site (unless the waste has been removed),
• (2) is not a hazardous substance release site (as identified by the DTSC), and
• (3) contains no pipelines carrying hazardous substances (except locally serving natural gas lines).

Section 17213 further mandates consultation with agencies having jurisdiction for identification of facilities within a quarter mile of the proposed site that may emit hazardous air emissions or handle hazardous materials. The school district governing board must find that either no such facilities exist, or the health risks from these facilities do not pose an actual or potential danger to persons at the site, or ensure that corrective measures are implemented prior to occupancy. A recent amendment also requires that sites located within 500 feet of a busy traffic corridor must not expose students to a significant health risk from short or long term exposure to air pollutants based on air dispersion modeling and potential mitigations. See also California Public Resources Code Section 21151.8 for similar requirements for adoption of CEQA documents for new schools.

The CDE recommends, but does not require that these findings be made in a Board resolution.

Section 17215

This section requires the evaluation of potential school sites within two nautical miles (12,152 feet) of an airport runway (or planned runway) by the Department of Transportation (DOT). The DOT evaluation is based on the safety and noise impacts of the airport on a potential site.

The process detailed in law is for school districts to notify the CDE and prepare the maps as specified in a CDE advisory. CDE will transmit the review request and maps to the DOT. The DOT will conduct a review for aircraft safety and noise and submit their report to CDE within 30 working days of receipt. If the DOT does not favor the site, the site may not be acquired or leased and no state or local funds may be expended on that site. If the DOT does favor the site, the Local Education Agency (LEA) governing board must conduct a public hearing prior to acquisition or lease.

Also note Public Utilities Code Section 21670 et.seq., related to consistency with and override of Airport Land Use Commission plans.

Section 17215.5

This section requires that the district governing board make certain findings prior to acquisition of agricultural zoned and general planned land first be submitted to the local jurisdiction, and that final review consider all factors affecting the public interest.

Also note Government Code Sections 51290 et seq. (Williamson Act) regarding procedures for land within an agricultural preserve or under contract, and Section 51296 regarding Farmland Security Zones.

California Public Resources Code

Section 21000

This section requires school districts, as the lead agency in land acquisition and the construction of a school, to assess the environmental impacts of a project pursuant to CEQA. This may be in the form of a negative declaration or environmental impact report. See the CEQA code and its Guidelines (CCR, Title 14, Section 15000 et.seq.) for more information.

Section 21151.2

This section requires a school district to give the local city/county planning commission written notice of the proposed new school site acquisition to allow a written report of their investigation and recommendations, and it prohibits the district's governing board from acquiring title until after a planning commission's report is received. If the local planning commission issues an unfavorable response, the governing board must then wait 30 days to act on site acquisition.

Also note Government Code Section 65402(c) regarding request for project consistency with the general plan, Section 53094 regarding school district override of local zoning and general plans for schools, and Sections 65352 et seq. regarding notification and planning coordination with local planning agencies.

Section 21151.8

This section specifies several areas that the Environmental Impact Report or Negative Declaration must address (almost identical to Education Code Section 17213 requirements).

Section 30000

This section describes the authority of the California Coastal Commission (CCC) which is responsible for planning and regulating development along California's coastal zone. School districts will need to consult with the CCC for proposed sites in this zone.

Title 5 of the California Code of Regulations

Sections 14010–14012

Establish the standards and procedures for school sites selection, acquisition and CDE approval. The site selection standards regulations cover the following areas:

• (a) minimum useable size, in acres (per CDE Guide to School Site Analysis and Development (PDF - 378KB))
• (b) proof of educational adequacy if site is undersized
• (c) proximity to power lines
• (d) proximity to railroad tracks
• (e) proximity to roads or freeways and related traffic and noise levels
• (f) proximity to earthquake faults and fault traces
• (g) safety from dam or flood inundation, and reasonable mitigation
• (h) presence of nearby above-ground water or fuel storage tanks or the proximity to pipelines that can pose a safety hazard as determined by a risk analysis study
• (i) high or moderate subjectivity to landslides or liquefaction
• (j) proportionate length-to-width ratio
• (k) accessibility to arterial roads and peripheral visibility
• (l) traffic and pedestrian safety
• (m) compatibility of surrounding zoning for potential health and safety risks
• (n) proximity to proposed attendance area, encouraging walking, avoid excessive busing
• (o) promotion of joint-use agreements for other public uses
• (p) convenience to public services
• (q) environmental factors such as wind and light
• (r) easements restricting access or building placement
• (s) excessive site-development costs and complications resulting in undue delays or unreasonable costs
• (t) proximity to hazardous-waste disposal sites

Note that several of the above regulations may require the district to conduct special studies or assessments. School districts may request an exemption to a requirement if evidence satisfactory to the CDE is presented that demonstrates that mitigation of specific circumstances overrides a standard without compromising a safe and supportive school environment.

Recommended Resources
School administrators, school board members, site selection teams, and other persons involved in facilities planning may find the following documents useful:

School Site Selection and Approval Guide (2000) is available from the California Department of Education, School Facilities Planning Division, 1430 N Street, Suite 1201, Sacramento, CA, 95814. (Note that several code, regulation and policy changes have occurred and may not be accurately reflected in the 2000 edition)

Guide to School Site Analysis and Development (2000) - (PDF - 378KB) contains information the school site selection team can use to evaluate a potential site and determine whether it meets the needs of the particular school (particularly the CDE recommended acreage and physical education facilities for various grade levels and enrollment ranges). The site standards in the book are based on historical school facilities funding programs. School planners should modify the requirements to fit current local educational program requirements.

The Guide for Planning Educational Facilities (2004) is available from the Council of Education Facility Planners International, 9180 East Desert Cove Drive, Suite 104, Scottsdale, AZ, 85260.

- Jim Bush, Fred Yeager

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