Senate Bill 956 Modernizing School Facilities Advances to Governor's Desk

SAN JOSE, CA – Senator Dave Cortese (D-San Jose) issued the following statement regarding his Senate Bill 956 (SB 956) and its successful passage out of the Assembly. SB 956 was voted on consent, and now heads to Governor Gavin Newsom’s desk for potential signing and adoption. The bill would enable K-12 school districts to expedite construction of new on-campus facilities, generate creative solutions to distinct infrastructure issues, and encourage greater collaboration between architects, engineers, and contractors through a concurrent, single contract saving schools millions of dollars. With a state schools facility bond going on the ballot in November, this will likely facilitate billions in school modernization.

“School districts across California are in dire need of improving and modernizing their campus facilities so that students are able to have positive learning outcomes in safe environments. The design-build process has proven itself an effective tool in expediting the construction and completion of on campus infrastructure projects which in turn upholds safety and learning for students,” said Senator Cortese. “SB 956 will make the design-build process a permanent tool school districts can depend on affording them the opportunity to save millions of dollars.”

“California’s students deserve safe, modern learning environments to support their education, and we thank the Legislature for understanding that school districts need a variety of tools to successfully build and upgrade their facilities,” said Alan Reising, Chair of the Coalition for Adequate School Housing and Assistant Superintendent of Facilities and Operations for Long Beach Unified School District.  “In recent years, design-build has helped schools navigate double-digit construction cost increases, while offering a model that fosters collaboration and creative solutions. SB 956 permanently grants schools the option to use design-build, and we thank Senator Cortese for his commitment to this important bill.”

Read more about Senate Bill 956 here. 

Senator Dave Cortese represents Senate District 15, which encompasses San Jose and much of Santa Clara County in the heart of Silicon Valley. Visit Senator Cortese’s website: https://sd15.senate.ca.gov