District Administration - April 2012 - (Page 43)

site, and information about funding releases and priorities are made available from the Department of Education at www.ed.gov. Enlisting the services of school funding experts, such as RedRock Reports, the Foundation Center and Education TURNKEY Systems, can ensure that relevant funding opportunities are not missed. In the Green On top of typical renovations and building programs, there are funding possibilities for energy efficiency and renewable energy projects. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan spoke in February at the Green Schools National Network Conference in Colorado to discuss the growing importance of recognizing green schools, environmental literacy and educating students about environmental stewardship and sustainabiliy. Research shows that schools that implement energysaving strategies—from following green building design to using energy-efficient building components to encouraging behavioral change—can reduce energy use by as much as one-third, resulting in major environmental benefits and cost savings. This will reduce subsequent operating costs and thereby offset the investment in the capital project. Additionally, as districts turn to local bonds as a potential funding source, environmentally friendly repairs and renovations may be ones that voters will support. In addition to the aforementioned State Energy Program Grants, the Department of Energy has several programs to support energy-efficient school facilities. The Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Program provides formula-based block grants based on population to states, U.S. territories, large cities, counties and Indian tribes within the United States. These funds are dedicated to energy-efficiency and conservation projects and programs. The Tribal Energy Program supports projects dedicated to energy efficiency www.DistrictAdministration.com Collaborative Partnerships Work Partnering with parent groups, business and non-profits equal power. For the last few years, a trend has been emerging in K12 education funding with a clear message: Partnerships equal power. Partnerships should include the school district, of course, and community groups, parent organizations, nonprofit supporters and for-profit businesses. For school district leaders, it is obvious how a higher education partner can be a benefit. But how can a for-profit company also be a benefit? For-profit partners have much experience in the marketplace. They can provide insight about business acumen and market trends that can only come from outside of the education arena. They can also provide valuable expertise in grant applications, board presentations, and justification or validation for your decisions related to the investments made with district resources. For example, if your goal is to renovate a building to make it more energy efficient, think about the information that a HVAC company can provide about how to capitalize on this efficiency. Including this information in your grant application or board presentation makes a more comprehensive case about your need, and the partnership will serve you well when it is time to make the changes to your building. Also, many competitive grants require matching funds or in-kind contributions. Your for-profit partners can be key contributors to in-kind services or products that can maximize the resources you receive. In addition, there has been more emphasis on encouraging creative public-private partnerships, which can provide a combination of financing, ownership and use arrangements to facilitate construction. Lastly, it can only be a win-win proposition to have partners to call on as you search for funding to meet the needs of your most precious resources—your students. and conservation for federally recognized Native American tribal governments. From 2002 to 2008, more than $16.5 million was provided by the Department of Energy for 93 tribal energy projects. The Environmental Protection Agency addresses environmental concerns in buildings through the Brownfields Program, which is focused on preventing, assessing, safely cleaning and sustainably reusing brownfields. A brownfield is a former industrial or commercial site that has suffered potential environmental contamination. School districts are eligible to apply for funding from the EPA through three programs: the Area-Wide Planning Pilot Program, the Assessment Grants Program, and the Clean Up Grants Program. With some ingenuity, each of these funds may be used creatively by combining it with other funds and developing multifaceted projects of which capital improvements are a part. Information is at epa.gov. In addition to government sources, many private foundations and corporations support the green movement and may be willing to support facility needs. The EPA’s Web site includes information on such funding (www.epa.gov/greenbuilding/tools/funding.htm). Persistence Will Pay Off As you work to find resources to strengthen the buildings that support your students, remember that the money is out there. Just start hammering away until you find the sources that will work for you. DA Paula Love is vice president for research and funding at RedRock Reports. Kathy Krapf, director of custom consulting at RedRock Reports, contributed to this article. April 2012 43 http://www.ed.gov http://www.epa.gov http://www.epa.gov/greenbuilding/tools/funding.htm http://www.epa.gov/greenbuilding/tools/funding.htm http://www.DistrictAdministration.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of District Administration - April 2012

District Administration - April 2012
Contents
From the Editor
News Update
Special Ed Update
Facilities Update
District Profile
Administrator Profile
Robust and Safe BYOD
Success Breeds Success
Funding Building Projects in a Tough Economy
Widening Participation to an IB Education
Why All the Chatter about #EdChat?
Supervisor’s Opinion
Going Mobile
New Directions
Crisis Response
Student Counsel
Product Focus
Online Edge

District Administration - April 2012