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Assembly Bill 841 (Ting): School Energy Efficiency Stimulus Program

AB 841 (Ting) is important legislation that would help school facility and maintenance departments by providing grants to improve HVAC systems, which is a critical healthy air quality issue to schools reopening in the COVID-19 era, as well as grants to improve drinking water quality.  CASH is in strong support of this legislation (click here to view CASH support letter).

We thank State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond for his on-point OpEd in the Sacramento Bee today.

“It is not often that we have an immediate need and can make an immediate impact with legislation. But Assembly Bill 841, known as the Healthy Schools for a Healthy Recovery Bill, will help do just that. AB 841, written by Assemblymember Phil Ting, D-San Francisco, will make schools safer in the time of COVID-19, save schools money, put people to work today and generate cleaner air for communities — all at no cost to taxpayers.

AB 841, which awaits the governor’s signature, will have an immediate impact by providing funds to fix, replace and upgrade old and inefficient HVAC systems to reduce the spread of the coronavirus, and repair and replace old, inefficient water fixtures that might leach lead into drinking water.”

We hope you will contact the Governor today to encourage his signature on AB 841.  He has until September 30 to act.

Suggested Messaging:

  • Reopening schools in the COVID-19 era presents many challenges.  We are concerned are not only with hard surface cleanliness and disinfection, but more broadly that indoor air quality will be such that their child could be infected because of the air expelled by another child or adult. Indoor air quality is a critical issue to reopen and safely operate schools, and parents are concerned about sending their children to schools this fall.  [Insert site-specific examples if possible].
  • AB 841 would create the School Energy Efficiency Stimulus Program which would provide grants to make critical investments in energy efficiency, healthy indoor air and water quality. For this reason, the [Insert your school district] strongly supports AB 841 because we believe that investments in healthy learning environments are vital as school leaders and local communities contemplate reopening and operating in the face of COVID-19.

~CASH Staff

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Call for Nominations – Board of Directors  

The CASH Nominating Committee is now accepting nominations to fill one (1) public sector position on the Board of Directors (Board).

All Board terms are two (2) years. Public sector members have an eight (8) year term limit. The term will begin at the 42nd Annual Conference, March 1-3 in Palm Springs, California.

Nominees must be active members, with leadership experience in the K-12 school facilities industry. Self-nominations are encouraged.

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CSFA Offers Additional TRAN Pools for K-12 Deferrals Cash Management

The California School Finance Authority offers a Tax and Revenue Anticipation Note (TRAN) pool for K-12 schools, providing a lower cost alternative to the single-district TRAN.  CSFA estimates that districts are expected to receive only about 70% of their State apportionment payments for 2020-21, with deferrals from February 2021 to June 2021.  Deferrals may continue into 2021-22.  Absent significant cash reserves, districts will need to borrow from external sources like their counties or investors by issuing a TRAN.

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Assembly Bill 841 (Ting): School Energy Efficiency Stimulus Program

AB 841 (Ting) is important legislation that would help school facility and maintenance departments by providing grants to improve HVAC systems, which is a critical healthy air quality issue to schools reopening in the COVID-19 era, as well as grants to improve drinking water quality.  CASH is in strong support of this legislation (click here to view CASH support letter).  Yesterday, AB 841 was approved and passed off the Senate Appropriations Committee Suspense File.  The following is a brief summary of the primary provisions of the bill, including the August 20, 2020 amendments which add new provisions.

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Call to Action: Contact the Legislature to Support AB 1384 and COVID-19 Liability Protection

We need your help on an important piece of legislation supported by CASH: AB 1384 (O’Donnell).  This bill provides K-12 schools with limited liability protection from COVID-19 lawsuits.  AB 1384 is pending in the Senate Judiciary Committee, and we recently found out that the Committee is not planning to schedule the bill for a hearing.  Without a hearing, the bill does not have a chance at passage.

Please email the Senate Judiciary Committee and urge them to schedule AB 1384 for a hearing.  A sample email is included below for your use.  There is still time for the Committee to change its mind and add AB 1384 to the agenda for its August 12th hearing.

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