H.718 and S.306: HIGH PERFORMANCE SCHOOL DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION STANDARDS : Vermont Green Building Network

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H.718 and S.306: HIGH PERFORMANCE SCHOOL DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION STANDARDS

As a follow up to our Annual Meeting discussion, here is the latest information on High Performance School Legislation, along with information on contacting your local representatives.

This term, the Vermont Legislature has introduced two, essentially identical versions of High Performance Schools (HPS) legislation. The House bill is sponsored by Rep. Ira Trombley (D - Grand Isle), and the Senate bill by Sen. Vincent Illuzzi (R- Essex-Orleans).

The bill actually is quite simple: it proposes to require the development of high performance school design and construction standards, such as New England High Performance School Protocol, the Massachusetts Collaborative for High Performance Schools Scorecard, or the United States Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards.. It requires that with regard to applications for school construction aid submitted on or after July 1, 2009, full state aid shall be available only if the project’s preliminary aid application states the intent to comply with the standards and if compliance with the standards is documented upon project completion. The bill proposes that the department of education may determine that compliance with the standards is impractical for a specific project and may elect to provide partial or full state aid absent compliance. If the project does comply, it will be eligible for 50% state construction funding aid contribution.

This legislation would be a quantum leap forward for the quality of educational environments in Vermont. It represents a wise investment of public tax dollars: school bonds are issued on a 20-year basis, so it logically follows that construction expenditures in high-performance features should be evaluated on the same basis, or over the lifetime of the building, not on first cost. In addition to the hard numbers that demonstrate these buildings are THE SAME OR LESS EXPENSIVE to build and operate than conventional construction, High Performance Schools are a wise investment for the following reasons:
· better learning environments with natural light and clean air that is the correct temperature and humidity, allowing our kids to concentrate on the teacher, not on their discomfort.
· buildings that are durable and easier to maintain
· site plans that take into account natural systems and sensitive environmental features
· buildings that function as teaching tools to help explain aspects of physics, biology, mechanical design, and architecture as they relate to sustainability
· buildings that will be highly appreciated and well-used by the community because they are great places to spend time
· Buildings that are designed to resist mold or bacterial growth within their components
· Buildings that reduce our impact through selection of environmentally-preferable and local materials

H. 718 is currently in the House Education committee.

COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION (Room 31)
Representative Ancel of Calais, Chair, 223-5350
email JAncel@leg.state.vt.us
Representative Clark of Vergennes, Vice-Chair
Representative Donovan of Burlington
Representative Barnard of Richmond, Clerk
Representative Crawford of Burke
Representative Gilbert of Fairfax
Representative Hosford of Waitsfield
Representative Kilmartin of Newport City
Representative Mook of Bennington
Representative Oxholm of Vergennes
Representative Peltz of Woodbury

S. 306 is currently in the Senate Education committee.

COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION (Room 28, P.M.)
Senator Collins of Franklin District, Chair, 868-7975
email dcollins@leg.state.vt.us\
Senator Doyle of Washington District, Vice-Chair
Senator Giard of Addison District
Senator Nitka of Windsor District, Clerk
Senator Starr of Essex-Orleans District

Advocating for this legislation is actually not that difficult, it just requires some of your time. Contact the chair of each committee, and tell them you wish to testify on the bill. If testimony is being taken, you will be given a time slot. Just show up at the correct place and time, but expect that Legislative time works a little differently than the rest of the world. Do not knock at the committee room door, but just quietly enter after silencing your cell phone, and take a seat. You will be called to the table when it is your turn. Legislators thrive on facts, statistics (but not too many), and personal stories directly related to the legislation. If you have reports from reputable sources, quote them briefly. Speak in your own words, and keep your comments brief--two to five minutes max. You'd be surprised what you can say in that amount of time of you are organized. Often legislators will request whole reports from which you have quoted to read later--it is best to "take orders" and deliver them later rater than making copies that may not get used. This is also another opportunity for a follow-up "touch" to remind the legislator of your issue.

You can also contact your own home district legislators and tell them why you support these bills.

We urge VGBN members to become acquainted with this legislation by visiting the Vermont Legislature home page. This is an excellent resource for finding names, phone numbers, committees, bills by number or keyword search, etc. for both the House and Senate! It is actually quite easy to use, and very user-friendly