Resolution on Sustainability & the Design and Construction of
High Performance Schools
__________________School District
Board of Education
Adopted __________
Date
WHEREAS, Students and staff are entitled to a safe and healthy school environment, and
studies have indicated that student achievement is greater and attendance higher, and teacher
and staff retention is improved, when the learning environment is naturally lit, comfortable and
well maintained;
WHEREAS, Schools should employ design, construction and operation strategies that
minimize operating costs, in particular for energy and water use as studies show that new
facility energy costs, for example, can be reduced by 25 percent or more;
WHEREAS, Schools that follow sustainable design principals can contribute to our
community’s environment by minimizing waste and air and water pollution;
WHEREAS, the District’s program to build new schools and renovate existing ones provides a
unique opportunity to move beyond standard designs;
WHEREAS, the Collaborative for High Performance Schools (CHPS) has developed
comprehensive design criteria based on the latest available information on sustainable school
design, construction, and operation; and
WHEREAS, Schools designed to meet the CHPS criteria incorporate environmental features
that provide a context for learning; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the _________ School District Board of Education recognizes the progress
already made by the District’s staff and design teams to incorporate sustainable design criteria
into the District’s school construction program; and
RESOLVED further, That the Board directs staff to expand this effort to ensure that every new
school, new building and modernization project, from the beginning of the design process,
incorporate CHPS criteria and best practices to the extent feasible; that the next round of
construction projects minimally meet the CHPS qualifying criteria and preferably achieve at
least _____ points; and that the focus be on criteria in the following priority areas:
a. (Select priorities that meet your district’s needs and location. Examples include:
1) Student performance and staff health through measures such as daylighting, the use of non
toxic-emitting materials, and sound insulation or isolation to minimize noise and enhance
classroom acoustical quality; 2) operating cost minimization, through resource efficiency; 3)
minimizing the impact of District operations on the environment 4) taking advantage of
financial incentive programs
RESOLVED further, that the Board of Education directs staff to follow the CHPS Roadmap
and scorecard to ensure the efficient and complete implementation of CHPS, including
creating a performance tracking system to ensure the effective implementation of the CHPS
criteria throughout design, construction and operation; and
RESOLVED further, That the Board of Education endorses District participation in and directs
staff to pursue partnerships that further the goal of high performance schools, including
Federal, State and utility programs that provide sustainable design financial incentives, and;
RESOLVED further, that the Board of Education directs staff, during the design phase of the
remaining projects in the current construction and modernization program and all such future
projects, to require architects and staff to verify that their District project(s) have met or
exceeded the minimum requirements for CHPS certification, and report the scores for all of the
CHPS categories; and
RESOLVED further, that the Board of Education directs staff to report to the Board, within
____ days of the passage of this resolution, on the District’s plan to comply with this
Resolution; and
RESOLVED, That the Board of Education directs staff to report to the Board annually on the
progress of this program, and provide quarterly summary statistics on the number of new
schools and modernization projects designed and the percentage which have incorporated
CHPS design criteria, and other statistics useful in assessing the progress of this effort.
CHPS/Parking Lot/Outreach/CIWMB Implementation Roadmap/Sample Dist Res