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Message from the Chair – Preparing Our Schools to Reopen

As the discussion on how and when to reopen schools has become the focus at the federal, state and local levels, CASH understands that school facilities and maintenance plays a significant role in this critical issue.  CASH continues to focus on providing resources to K-12 school districts and county offices of education from a school facilities and maintenance perspective that will allow them to be part of getting students back in the classroom.   

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School Reopening Update

On January 14th, the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) released the COVID-19 School Guidance Checklist, which supersedes the guidance it issued on August 3, 2020. This document is intended to reconcile guidance for schools from CDPH and the California Occupational Safety and Health Administration (CalOSHA). That said, there remain differences between the new guidance and the Governor’s proposed $2 billion In-Person Instruction Grant Program. The differences will be significant for some local education agencies (LEAs). For example, the guidance advises consultation with bargaining groups, whereas the proposed grant program requires negotiation with them.

The Checklist is part of the Administration’s new Safe Schools for All Hub, which is meant to centralize COVID-related state guidance for schools. At present, the site’s content is focused on the merits of the Governor’s In-Person Instruction Grant Program.

Last Thursday, the Senate Committee on Education and the Senate Committee on Budget held a joint hearing on the Governor’s proposal. During the hearing, the program was criticized by Senators, education labor and management organizations, and school district representatives. Common concerns expressed were the fact that grant amounts would not be sufficient to pay for COVID-19 testing of students or other program requirements, insufficient statewide capacity to process tests in a timely manner, insufficient time for LEAs to complete application requirements, and the plan’s omission of vaccinations for teachers and school staff—which labor and management both stated was key to a return to in-person instruction. Hearing participants concluded that the proposed program would not result in schools reopening sooner, and encouraged the Administration to return with an amended proposal.

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Message from The Office of Public School Construction (OPSC)

TO: ALL SCHOOL DISTRICTS AND COUNTY SUPERINTENDENTS OF SCHOOLS

The Office of Public School Construction (OPSC) is conducting a free interactive workshop on Friday, January 22, 2021, from 10 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. to provide information to CPA audit firms and Local Educational Agencies regarding the K-12 performance audit process for School Facility Program (SFP) projects funded on or after April 1, 2017, as required by Education Code Section 41024. Audit training will be related to audit procedures to perform and audit reports to prepare using “Yellow Book” Generally Accepted Government Audit Standards (GAGAS) for performance audits and the audit instructions contained in the Guide for Annual Audits of K-12 Local Education Agencies and State Compliance Reporting – Appendix B contained on the California Education Audit Appeals Panel website (www.eaap.ca.gov).
Topics include:

  • Introduction/Outline of the performance audit process.
  • Using the OPSC website as a tool in completing performance audits.
  • Examples of necessary performance audit procedures for a standard SFP close-out audit.

The workshop will include a presentation session and an interactive question & answer session via Zoom. See OPSC’s website for meeting link or the workshop flyer. To pre-register for the workshop, see our Eventbrite Workshop Registration.

If you have any questions please contact Jason Hernandez at jason.hernandez@dgs.ca.gov or at (916) 376-5369 or Keith Jung at keith.jung@dgs.ca.gov or at (916) 376-3865.

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CASH Alert: Governor Newsom Outlines CA’s COVID-19 Plan for Schools

On Friday, July 17, Governor Newsom used his daily press conference to release new mandates and revised guidance pertaining to the criteria for schools to close in-person instruction and provide distance learning, and when they can reopen. The immediate effect is that all schools located in a county on the state COVID-19 watchlist must start the school year in distance learning. While the list changes daily, it has held steady at approximately 32 of California’s 58 counties being included.

The following is a summary of the plan as announced by the Governor. Below, you will find highlights from related documents released today and links to the full documents.

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CDE California Virtual STEAM Symposium Call for Presenters

To best serve the needs of the STEAM community, the California Department of Education and Californians Dedicated to Education Foundation are convening the same great California STEAM Symposium you know and love in a virtual venue. Mark December 11-13, 2020 on your calendar as you plan for another wonderful year of inspiration, collaboration, and professional learning. To submit your proposal by the deadline on June 17 and for more information about the symposium please visit:

https://www.cvent.com/c/abstracts/6cf49ddb-78ff-4d1b-93d5-71b76e16baf0

For questions please contact mstitt@cde.ca.gov.

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