• U.S. Sens. Alex Padilla (D-California) and Dianne Feinstein (D-California) announced that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) awarded more than $68.2 million to 21 California schools and districts to replace 177 existing school buses with zero-emission models, according to an Oct. 26 statement from Padilla’s office. This funding comes from the EPA’s Clean School Bus Program, which was included in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and modeled after the Clean Commute for Kids Act that was introduced in 2021. These awards—among the first from the five-year, $5 billion Clean School Bus Program—were awarded through a lottery system. Across the nation, school districts identified by the EPA as priority areas serving low-income, rural, or tribal students make up 99 percent of the projects that were selected. “I have been proud to help lead the charge to transition our nation’s school bus fleet to zero- and low-emission models,” Padilla said in the statement. “Success in the classroom starts before children even get to school. Unfortunately, far too many children in working-class communities—like the one I grew up in—are forced to inhale harmful emissions from outdated diesel buses on the way to school. Today’s announcement is a significant investment in modernizing school buses in some of the communities with the poorest air quality. If we are serious about improving public education and public health, then clean school buses are a must.”
• The state approved $96.2 million in grants to support 10 disadvantaged, unincorporated, and tribal communities across California to plan and implement neighborhood-level projects that reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve public health and the environment, and expand economic opportunity for residents, according to an Oct. 28 statement from Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office. Combined, the 10 projects approved today will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 64,000 metric tons, equivalent to taking 14,000 cars off the road for one year. The California Strategic Growth Council voted unanimously today to approve this grant funding through the Transformative Climate Communities (TCC) program, which has awarded a total of $230 million in 26 communities since 2016. In total, the state has allocated $661 million to the TCC program since 2016. The program is an important component of the governor’s multi-year $54 billion California Climate Commitment to advance economic opportunity and environmental justice in communities across the state. “California is empowering communities on the front lines of the climate crisis to tackle pollution and build resilience in their own neighborhoods. This innovative support for community-led projects across the state will bring environmental, health, and economic benefits to Californians for decades to come,” Newsom said in the statement.
• Santa Barbara County Superintendent of Schools Susan Salcido is accepting applications for her inaugural Student Advisory Council, an opportunity for the superintendent to connect with public high school students from diverse regions throughout Santa Barbara County, to learn from their insights and discuss topics affecting students, schools, and communities, according to an Oct. 27 statement from the superintendent’s office. Council members will participate in three meetings led by the superintendent covering a variety of topics. They may also be invited to give presentations to the county Board of Education on relevant topics, and to accompany the superintendent on school visits and other events. “I look forward to connecting with students from across our county to create space and time to learn from their unique experiences,” Salcido said in the statement. “This council is one way to elevate student voices and to establish a meaningful way to receive their feedback. I’m eager to learn from the Student Advisory Council and sincerely believe their input will be amongst the most valuable and insightful for me in my role.” To apply, students must be in good academic standing, in addition to being a public high school student (grades nine through 12) in Santa Barbara County. The deadline to apply is 5 p.m. on Nov. 7.
This article appears in Nov 3-9, 2022.
