FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
July 18, 2024
MEDIA CONTACT:
Chloe Zilliac, chloe@sunstonestrategies.org
(650) 644-8259
Ten Strands and UndauntedK12 support Proposition 2, California’s School Infrastructure Bond
Oakland, CA – Ten Strands and UndauntedK12 announced support today for a $10 billion school infrastructure bond that will go before voters in November, 2024. It is California’s first state-wide school bond to acknowledge the impacts that climate change is having on school communities and the need to align school spending with California’s energy, extreme heat, and adaptation goals.
Ten Strands and UndauntedK12 provide backbone support for the Climate Ready Schools Coalition. The organizations released the following joint statement:
Proposition 2, the state school infrastructure bond, includes desperately needed $8.5 billion for K-12 schools and $1.5 billion for community colleges to build, upgrade, and modernize their facilities, including buildings and grounds. New language in Proposition 2 states that dollars for both new construction and modernizations can be used for climate adaptation and mitigation, including shade and extreme heat mitigation, decarbonization, and creating outdoor learning environments using nature-based materials. The new language also gives schools an additional 5% supplemental grant for energy and climate change adaptation projects that exceed the building code requirements, incentivizing electrification at school sites.
Our organizations support Proposition 2, and looking beyond this bond, recognize that State leaders must do more to ensure that climate vulnerable, low wealth, small, and historically divested-from communities and school districts can access the School Facilities Program and receive the resources they need to adapt to the impacts of climate change and keep students safe, healthy, and learning in the decades to come.
We look forward to seeing Proposition 2 passed by California voters in the November election.
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