Data and Visualization Overview: The visualizations below include Cost of Education per average daily attendance (ADA), and CalEnviroscreen 4.0 pollution burden data, which shows the potential exposures to pollutants and the adverse environmental conditions caused by pollution. The last visual also overlays the two data sets.
Analysis Recommendations: Use the filters below to compare Cost of Education per ADA between districts, and to compare Pollution Burden across districts, and to see how these two variables can be compared to understand justice and equity issues for students.
Data and Visualization Overview: The visualization below focuses on key indicators of institutionalized commitment to sustainability and climate ready schools efforts such as:
Green Schools Awards: This data refers to local, state, and federal "green schools" recognition programs that celebrate advancing environmental or climate literacy, and/or sustainable and climate ready schools efforts. Awards included in this data set include: Federal and State Green Ribbon Schools Program, Sustainable San Mateo County Awards, SMCOE's Sustainable and Climate Ready Schools Challenge, and other relevant programs.
District-Wide Sustainability Committees: District-wide sustainability committee help to prioritize environmental sustainability and climate resiliency, and drive the behavior of ongoing prioritization of sustainable and climate ready schools efforts. To learn more about the purpose of these committees or to see sample case studies visit: District Sustainability Committees Overview and San Mateo County Committee Case Studies.
Campus Sustainability Dashboard: The purpose of a campus sustainability dashboard is to make facilities and operations data - energy, water, waste, procurement, etc. - transparent and accessible for use by multiple stakeholders for awareness, advocacy, and action. Learn more about these dashboards at Campus Sustainability Dashboards Overview.
Analysis Recommendations: Use the filters below to view efforts by type of district, or by specific districts. Districts who have made progress on two or more key indicators have been able to accelerate institutionalization of these efforts, which helps to build momentum and sustain efforts year after year. Note that for each of the data sets below districts get a score of "1" for each category - dashboard, award, or a committee - and a score of "0" if they have not.
Data and Visualization Overview: The visualization below shows the extent to which San Mateo County School Boards have adopted environmental sustainability and climate related school board policies. The majority of these have utilized templated board policies available from the California School Boards Association (CSBA). To learn more about school boards and environmental policies visit: School Board Sustainability Resolutions and Policies Overview.
Analysis Recommendations: Use the filters below to search by school district (or types of districts for comparison) to see which districts have adopted the most # of policies. For details on specific policies adopted visit the School Board Sustainability Resolutions San Mateo County Analysis.
Data and Visualization Overview: The visualization below shows whether or not a school district has adopted a facilities master plan, and what year it has been adopted. A Facilities Master Plan is a strategic document that provides a district with information on both existing facilities and the recommended renovations needed to support both health and safety of their campuses. These are important for long-term planning, and resource allocation. Learn more about what is included in these plans by reading the Facilities Master Planning Overview.
Analysis Recommendations: Use the filters below to search by school district. It is relevant to note that a facilities master plan is important for long-term planning and resource allocation, and should be updated periodically. It is recommended that school districts have a facilities master plan, and that it incorporate environmental sustainability and climate resilience as guiding principles - this has become part of compliance for construction and renovation (see Division of State Architect's (DSA) Sustainability Plan Resources).
In California, public school districts are allowed to raise revenue via local elections and property taxes. The two most often used methods for raising funds through ballot measures are: construction bonds and parcel tax measures. Construction Bonds (or "Bond Measures") have been used heavily by San Mateo County schools and communities to finance major construction and renovations of school buildings and grounds. Learn more about ballot measures and funding in the Ballot Measure Overview.
Data and Visualization Overview: The visualization below show the number of bond measures that have been passed per district, and the amount passed for the decades (2000 - 2009, 2010 - 2019, and 2020 - 2029). In California, public school districts are allowed to raise revenue via local elections and property taxes - when these funds are used for facilities it is referred to as a "bond measure". Learn more about ballot measures and funding in the Ballot Measure Overview.
Analysis Recommendations: Use the filters below to search by school district. This data point is useful as all construction and renovation is now required to incorporate environmental sustainability and climate mitigation (see Division of State Architect's (DSA) Sustainability Plan Resources for more details on compliance). If a school district has current bond funding, then they will be on their journey to becoming more sustainable and climate resilient, and may be open to conversations about how to do more in their existing buildings.