Environmental obstacles to the construction of educational facilities in California

The environmental obstacles to construction of educational facilities in the state of California are now the greatest hindrance in the game of catch-up that school districts must play to provide relief for school overcrowding. These environmental obstacles are the focus of this research.; The purpose of this study was to identify and examine the various types of environmental obstacles to site selection and construction of educational facilities in the state of California and suggest how those obstacles could be avoided to reduce lead-time for site selection and construction of new facilities. During the past five years numerous sites planned for educational facilities have been rejected after districts had purchased the sites for construction. In some cases schools have been built and are unable to be occupied. The study looked at data related to four siting cases of educational institutions developing school facility sites, UC Merced and CSU Monterey Bay, and problems at inner-city schools in Los Angeles Unified School District and the Elk Grove Unified School District, the actions taken and the decisions made relative to site selection and the due diligence necessary to secure development of educational facilities. The specific cases selected are important for the system-wide issues they revealed.; The significance of this study is the documentation of the environmental obstacles and other related issues that have the potential to disqualify or delay the site selection and construction process with which schools throughout the state must comply. The researcher used a qualitative multi-case study methodology that allowed comparison, contrast and determination of the generalizability of the findings.; There are both mitigatible and major insurmountable environmental obstacles identified in this study, relative to site selection and eventual construction of education facilities. The researcher recommends that educational facility planners in California be required to undergo a certification process that includes training in the site selection process, the legal standards of due diligence according to the California Education Code, consultant management, CEQA and its Guidelines, environmental hazards and ethics.