Well-made site decisions are made collaboratively and benefit the entire community. Well-made school location decisions take full advantage of existing resources, are easily and safely accessible by walking and biking and are a community focal point. While each community faces unique challenges, most communities face similar challenges in the areas of funding, land availability, transportation/accessibility and coordination (Oregon School Siting Handbook).
Funding -
Planning Tools help communities collaborate to face these shared community challenges by supplying the data and information from which school and community collaborators can base decisions using defensible criteria:
- What are the upcoming, publicly voted community needs? - Schools, libraries, safety, planning, parks, redevelopment, etc.? Can departments work together to reduce costs, share use, and serve community needs through improved collaboration?
- Is the facilities plan sustainable? Will the district be able to staff more buildings? Explore, contrast and compare school funding options (bonds vs. building reserves, interest vs. no interest), including costs to community for each scenario (enlarge, build, renovate) and then compare and contract scenarios.
- Can city and school parcels be exchanged or can co-location meet the needs of multiple entities, i.e. parks and rec., schools, housing?
- How can the entities collaborate and share space?
- Does public transportation serve school site?
- Are accessible sidewalks, bikeways, crosswalk, streetlights, etc. in place? If not, what will the cost be?
- Are plans coordinated?
- Are schools, city and community development agencies working in unison or are plans antagonistic? e.g. are schools closed where city/economic development is working on revitalization?
- Is public transportation accessible where schools are located?
Planning Tools help communities collaborate to face these shared community challenges by supplying the data and information from which school and community collaborators can base decisions using defensible criteria:
- The Active School Neighborhood Checklist (ASNC) - an on-line tool for assessing school sites based on their walkability and bikeability.
- Smart School Siting Tool helps decision makers gather data needed for informed decision making. The underlying principles of the EPA's school siting guidelines are: health, safety, substantive and ongoing meaningful public involvement, livability and sustainability of neighborhoods/communities, environmental health and safety of the entire community including underserved and disadvantaged populations. The Smart School Siting Tool is a mechanism by which decision makers can compare and contrast construction options and align those options with cost/benefit information to help ensure that decision makers have the necessary information to inform the process.
- Tools for online public engagement (see Info and Resources page) can help local government consult, collaborate with and empower citizens.