How to Fund Your CHPS School Project with Proposition 1D Incentives
Background
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California voters approved a $100 million high performance school incentive package under Proposition 1D in November 2006. The funding is part of a larger $10.4 billion package to upgrade public schools, including kindergarten through twelfth grade, community colleges, and state universities. The high performance incentives will fund new construction, modernizations and relocatables that promote the efficient use of water, natural resources and energy, and also provide superior indoor air quality, acoustics, and lighting. Eligible school projects will be awarded incentives through the Office of Public School Construction (OPSC) on a first-come, first-serve basis until the funding runs out.

Press Releases

CHPS: 10/03/07: Proposition 1D Regulations Passed

DGS: 10/03/07 Regulations Passed to Begin Funding "Green Schools" for California

CHPS: 11/09/06: $100 Million in Funding for Green Schools Approved by CA Voters

CHPS Resources

CHPS Best Practice Manual, Volume III Criteria

Proposition 1D Incentives Calculator (coming soon!)

CHPS Designed

CHPS Verified

CHPS Verified User Guide

Other Resources

OPSC High Performance School Regulations

OPSC Website

DSA High Performance Schools Site

Frequently Asked Questions about CHPS and Proposition 1D funding:
How will the incentives be distributed?
The regulations to distribute Proposition 1D's $100 in incentives were approved in October 2007. The new OPSC regulations (PDF) identify the CHPS Criteria as the basis for distributing the incentives. The CHPS Criteria sets benchmarks for attributes of green, healthy, high performance schools and have been adopted as the mandatory design standard by 25 school districts in California and seven other states. The CHPS Criteria help school districts to build high performance features in six categories: sustainable sites, water, energy, materials, indoor environmental quality and policy and operations. The CHPS Criteria is found in Volume III of the CHPS Best Practices Manual and available for free download and printing here.
How much can I expect my project to receive?

School projects that are eligible for California state funding are also eligible for incentives. For meeting the Proposition 1D requirements a project can earn an extra 2% to 10.25% in state incentives based on how many CHPS points are claimed (see the graph Prop 1D HPS Incentives below). Click here (coming soon!) to use the incentive calculator to estimate how much your project is eligible for. Although the calculator is based on the approved regulations and should be used to give you an approximate match, CHPS does not guarantee the amount calculated is the amount you will be awarded. The State Allocation Board (SAB) is ultimately responsible for determining the awarded amount and distributing the incentives.

Which CHPS Criteria edition should I use?
Unless your project was registered at DSA for review prior to October 2007 you must use the 2006 Edition CHPS Criteria. If you submitted to DSA before October 2007 and would like to use the 2002 Edition, contact CHPS to discuss the differences in program requirements.
How do the requirements for Proposition 1D incentives differ from CHPS' requirements?

The requirements to receive Prop 1D incentives are only slightly different from CHPS' recognition programs requirements. These differences are outlined in the table below.

*Please refer to the CHPS Criteria, found in Volume III of the CHPS Best Practices Manual, Page V, for the complete list of CHPS requirements and credits.
How can I receive both CHPS Recognition and Proposition 1D funding?

First, meeting the minimum requirements for Prop 1D incentives will not qualify your project as a CHPS School as seen in the table above. In addition to meeting the Prop 1D requirements you will need to meet CHPS Prerequisite SS6.0, and claim 5 additional points (4 of these points may come from the Policy and Operations Category or any other CHPS category).

Second, to be recognized as a CHPS School your project must be registered and approved under one of two CHPS recognition programs: CHPS Designed (free, self-certification system) or CHPS Verified (fee-based, 3rd-party verification). If OPSC awards your project an incentive, and you have met both CHPS' and the Prop 1D minimum requirements, you still need to be registered and approved under one of these two recognition programs to qualify as a CHPS School.

To receive both CHPS Recognition and Proposition 1D funding select one of two options.

OPTION 1: Utilize CHPS Designed and the DSA 2006 Scorecard based on CHPS

For this option before you start construction you will register your CHPS Designed project using the 2006 CHPS Designed Scorecard. You will also submit requirements for the DSA 2006 Scorecard, based on CHPS, directly to DSA. Click here for instructions on how to submit to DSA.

After construction is complete, you will need to submit a completed CHPS Designed Scorecard to CHPS. CHPS Designed is a free self-certification program where accountability for the qualifications of the project rests on the architect and CHPS team.

OPTION 2: Utilize CHPS Verified and CHPS will submit to DSA for you

The CHPS Verified program and the DSA 2006 Scorecard identify what is required to show that you have achieved the points and prerequisites in the CHPS Criteria. The requirements are the same for both CHPS Verified and DSA, except that CHPS Verified has requirements after construction. To use this option, review the CHPS Verification Program User Guide and register your project to be CHPS Verified as early as possible. The CHPS Verified program is a fee-based system that provides project management and oversight tools. For CHPS Verified, accountability rests on CHPS and a 3rd Party reviewer to verify a project's qualifications. CHPS Verified has been designed to aid in the Proposition 1D application process.

For more information, contact CHPS at info@chps.net or 877-645-2477.

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