Call for School Facilities Presenters, Vendors, and Participants

California STEAM Symposium 2022: December 10-11 at the Moscone Center, San Francisco

The Symposium is becoming the STEAM Symposium this year, and the thematic strands reflect the importance of braiding together science, technology, engineering, and math with art and design thinking.

The strand, “Supporting STEM/STEAM through 21st Century Learning Environments” offers a unique opportunity for school facilities and education professionals to present new, modernized, or modified STEM/ STEAM school facilities and learning environments. Prospective presenters may consider sharing school designs and practical ideas that enhance one or more STEM/STEAM topics, as well as partnerships with schools and districts that have designed or modified facilities to support STEM and STEAM learning. Presenters can submit proposals now and until Friday, June 16, 2023.

For more information please visit: 

If you have any questions please contact:

Molly Stitt

Education Programs Consultant

School Facilities & Transportation Services

California Department of Education

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916-322-6249

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April Facility Planners Update

April 3, 2023

The CASH Facility Planners Meeting Update for April 2017 is now available and includes information regarding:

  • Legislative Update
  • DIR Prevailing Wage Monitoring Program Proposed Updates
  • OPSC Stakeholder Meeting Front-End Grant Agreement for the School Facility Program (SFP)
  • CDE Title 5 School Siting & Design Standards Review
  • CASH Welcomes New Members
  • Upcoming Networking Mixers

Click here to download the Update.

~ CASH Staff

OPSC Stakeholder Meeting on Front-End Grant Agreements for the SFP

On Thursday, March 30, 2023, the Office of Public School Construction (OPSC) held a stakeholder meeting in Sacramento to review OPSC’s draft grant agreements for the School Facility Program (SFP). The OPSC is planning to receive stakeholder input, and then take the item to the State Allocation Board (SAB) on its April agenda scheduled for April 26, 2023. This is a key document that needs to completed before Proposition 51 funds become available for school districts projects. CASH’s Board of Directors goal on OPSC’s proposed front-end grant agreement is to ensure that the grant agreement and audit guide are consistent with one another so that districts understand the rules and expectations throughout the entire life of the project. Further, CASH is requesting concurrent adoption of the Administration’s trailer bill language by the date of the April SAB Board meeting. CASH believes that such coordination is necessary to allow for the establishment of clear expectations while facilitating swift implementation of Proposition 51.  Joe Dixon, Tom Duffy, and Ian Padilla attended the stakeholder meeting to represent CASH.

The substance of the meeting discussion was OPSC receiving and responding to stakeholders concerns. While the meeting included discussion of many significant policy and technical issues, the overarching concern expressed by stakeholders was to distinguish between what are clarifications to the existing process and what are changes to the existing process. In addition, stakeholders expressed concern that there has been insufficient time to provide quality input on the proposal and requested additional opportunities to provide feedback. In response, OPSC staff stated that they are open to additional written input and would look into the possibility of another stakeholder meeting, but that they wanted to ensure they had adequate time to prepare the document for presentation at the April SAB meeting.

~ CASH Staff

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Nina Boyd Recipient of the Prestigious James L. Murdoch Lifetime Achievement Award

March 21, 2023

Nina Boyd of the Orange County Office of Education and past board member of CASH receives the prestigious James L. Murdoch Lifetime Achievement Award during the CASH 38th Annual Conference in Sacramento this past February.

Pictured are Past Chair Dave Doomey, Founding Chair Gene Hartline and current Chair Jenny Hannah who present Nina with the honor.

For the full script of the presentation, click here.

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OPSC Stakeholder Meeting on Grant Agreements for the SFP

March 20, 2023

The Office of Public School Construction (OPSC) has scheduled a stakeholder meeting for Thursday, March 30, 2023, at the Department of General Services, Ziggurat building in West Sacramento. The meeting is scheduled for purposes of discussing and receiving feedback on the draft grant agreements for the School Facility Program. The notice has been posted to the OPSC website under Meeting Information and on the State Allocation Board webpage. This meeting will also be webcast.

~ CASH Staff

38th Annual Conference Summary

March 23, 2023

The CASH 38th Annual Conference on School Facilities was outstanding! Held February 20-22, 2023, the positive energy from the more than 2,000 attendees was palpable throughout the Sacramento Convention Center and Hyatt Regency Hotel in Sacramento. Once again, the Trade Show sold out, we had a long list of sponsors and overall attendance increased more than 12 percent!
Thank You Exhibitors and Sponsors!

CASH would also like to thank the 41 sponsors and nearly 200 exhibitors for supporting the 38th Annual Conference, as well as the following exhibitor weblink participants:

  • Allana Buick & Bers, Inc. – http://abbae.com
  • Alten Construction, Inc. – altenconstruction.com
  • T. Mancini Co., Inc. – www.btmancini.com
  • DMG North, Inc. – dmgn.com
  • Envise – http://enviseco.com
  • Eric Hall & Associates – erichallassociates.com
  • Extron Electronics – extron.com
  • Grand Slam Safety, LLC – grandslamsafety.com
  • Harris Construction Co., Inc. – http://harrisconstruction.com
  • Infinity Communications – infinitycomm.com
  • MBS Engineering, Inc. – mb.services
  • McGuire and Hester – mcguireandhester.com
  • Mondo – mondoworldwide.com
  • Sage Renewable Energy Consulting – sagerenew.com
  • Terracon Consultants, Inc. – terracon.com
  • Terraphase Engineering – http://terraphase.com
  • US Airconditioning Distributors – us-ac.com
  • W2W Sport – http://w2wsport.com

NextGen Experience

Attendees visited the NextGen Experience in the Trade Show to touch, feel, and experience the possibilities of flexible learning environments firsthand while conversing with vendors about integrating the flexible learning spaces into to their projects.

CASH would like to thank Jim Kisel, Lindsay Hayward and Kate Mraw with LPA, Inc. for their time and expertise designing this unique learning lab. We would also like to thank the following vendors for outfitting the space:

  • AFE Sports/AstroTurf/Rekortan
  • Balfour Beatty Construction
  • Buzzi Space
  • Campbell Keller
  • Cisco
  • LPA
  • MeTEOR
  • Mondo
  • Office Depot
  • Paragon
  • Shaw Contract
  • VS America

Highlights of the Conference included:

Workshops, Clinics and Roundtable Discussions

This year’s Conference included more than 40 workshops and clinics, and 30 roundtable discussions on hot topics and current issues, including finance, school construction, high performance and planning. The annual workshop for first-time attendees and new members was very well attended. At the very popular M&O Technology and Demonstration Fair and Reception, attendees received hands-on learning about the maintenance technology areas of solar, security, energy savings and more.

Monday, February 20

Golf Tournament

The Golf Tournament drew many golfers, despite the challenging weather. The sportsmanship and tenacity was evident, and a great time was had by all!

CASH Maintenance Management Certification Program

The more than 40 participants of the CASH Maintenance Management Certification Program presented their final maintenance plans on the morning of Monday, February 20. That afternoon, they received their Certificates of Completion during the graduation ceremony. Congratulations graduates!


Welcome Reception

During the Monday evening Welcome Reception, attendees had their first opportunity to visit the Exhibitors and NextGen Experience in the Trade Show, and network with their industry colleagues.

Tuesday, February 21

Tuesday morning, attendees were able to choose from workshops on current issues and hot topics, roundtable discussions, and the open Legislative Advisory Committee meeting. The Trade Show also reopened Tuesday morning and remained open throughout the day; attendees flocked to dessert service after lunch and concluded the evening during the reception.

Opening General Session and Lunch

CASH Chair Jenny Hannah welcomed the attendees to the Opening General Session and Lunch. Jenny thanked everyone for supporting Proposition 51 saying, “we could not have done this without the support of everyone in this room and others who could not be here today.” She also debuted the 2016 Summary of the Organization’s Work, which details the organization’s accomplishments over the past year, and announced the Regional Training Course Series, a new educational program by CASH.

CASH Vice Chair Don Ulrich then provided the Conference Overview.

Student Design Awards

Past Chair and Outreach Committee Chair, Mike Vail, and CASH Board Member David Miranda, presented the Student Design Awards to:

  • First Place: Michael Kramer, NewSchool of Architecture and Design
  • Second Place: Kyle Stevens, NewSchool of Architecture and Design
  • Third Place: Jamie Nguyen, Cal Poly Pomona


CASH/AIACC Leroy F. Greene Design and Planning Awards

Don Ulrich and Jana Itzen presented the CASH/AIACC Leroy F. Greene Design and Planning Awards, click here for a video of the 2016 winning projects.

James L. Murdoch Lifetime Achievement Award

Past Chair Dave Doomey, Founding Chair Gene Hartline and current Chair Jenny Hannah presented the prestigious James L. Murdoch Lifetime Achievement Award to Nina Boyd, Orange County Department of Education, for her many years of service to CASH.

Networking Dinner

The Networking Dinner on Tuesday, immediately following the reception in the Trade Show, was the place to be, where attendees continued conversations while enjoying food and beverages on the third floor of the Convention Center. Live entertainment was provided by the Rio Americano High School Band!

Wednesday, February 22

General Session and Networking Breakfast

The morning convened with the General Session and Networking Breakfast. Treasurer and Board Member Lyn Gruber presented the annual report on the fiscal health of the organization. She informed the attendees that this would be her last Treasurer’s Report, as she had finished her tenure on the Board of Directors, and made the announcement that Board Member Dwayne Mears had been appointed Treasurer. Lyn Gruber introduced State Senator Janet Nguyen. Senator Nguyen began her remarks by stating “I want to ensure the Government is working for the people, bringing together different perspectives and always working toward compromises that will benefit all sides.” Click here for a summary of the Senator’s remarks. 

Closing General Session and Lunch

After welcoming attendees, Jenny Hannah eloquently delivered her parting message as Chair, noting “CASH has done great work, but there is much to do.” She introduced the incoming Chair, Don Ulrich, Clovis USD, and passed the gavel.

Don addressed the audience with his vision for the future of CASH: to continue working with the State Legislature and agencies to provide resources for school facilities that serve every child in California. He also shared the need for Proposition 51 implementation, to get the funds to local school districts as quickly and efficiently as possible.

Don announced the formation of a nonprofit foundation, the California School Facilities Research Institute, with goals of studying: the connection between quality facilities and their impact on student learning and success; next generation learning facilities; and the link between school facilities and community prosperity and success.

He ended with a quote from Donald Leu “a school building is more than a physical structure providing housing, light, heat, and shelter from the elements; it is the one expression of the community’s commitment to education.”

Next, Joe Dixon, Past Chair and Chair of the Nominating Committee, presented the Nominating Committee report. He asked the membership for approval of Julie Arthur, Palm Springs Unified School District as the incoming Vice Chair and the slate of new Board Members:

  • John Baracy, Stifel, Nicolaus & Company, Inc.
  • Alan Reising, Long Beach USD
  • Randy Rowles, Bakersfield City SD

He also thanked the Board Members whose terms have come to an end and presented Service Awards to:

  • Lyn Gruber, Koppel and Gruber Public Finance
  • John Peukert, San Bernardino City USD


Board Member Rob Pierce then presented Member Service Awards to the following, for their dedication and contributions to the organization:

  • Bob Chase, Division of the State Architect (retired)
  • Larry Ferchaw, Cooperative Strategies
  • Pat Gunn, Lozano Smith
  • Nathaniel Holt, Pomona USD
  • Andrea Roess, David Taussig & Associates
  • Julie Zimmerman, BakerNowicki Design Studio



Dave Walrath then recognized the following for their dedication to the passage of Proposition 51: the California Building Industry Association, Stutzman Public Affairs, Meridian Pacific and Mike Vail.



Post-Conference Debriefing

The Post-Conference debriefing was held immediately following the General Session. More than 30 attendees provided feedback and suggestions on this year’s Conference and ways to improve for next year. If you are interested in serving on the Annual Conference Planning Committee, please contact CASH staff member Lisa Church at (916) 448-8577 or .

Save the Date

Mark your calendar for the 39th Annual Conference on School Facilities, February 26-28, 2018, at the Sacramento Convention Center and Hyatt Regency Sacramento.

~ CASH Staff

Photo credit: ©Steve Pate-Newberry/SPN Photography, All Rights Reserved.

This entry was posted in General, Proposition 51, Uncategorized and tagged 2016 School Facilities Bond Initiative, 2016 State School Bond Initiative, Coalition for Adequate School Housing, Division of the State Architect, , Kindergarten Through Community College Public Education Facilities Bond Act of 2016, November 2016 ballot, November 2016 General Election, Proposition 51 on by .

March & April CASH Days

This is a reminder that the March CASH Day is scheduled for Tuesday, March 28. The meetings listed below will be held that day in the Tofanelli Room of the Sheraton Grand Sacramento located at 1230 J Street, Sacramento, CA 5814.

  • Monthly Update Meeting
    11:00 a.m – 12:15 pm.
  • Annual Conference Planning Committee
    12:30 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.

Please also note that the April SAB meeting has been rescheduled to Monday, April 24 at 4:00 p.m. Respectively all CASH meetings will be held on that day.

~ CASH Staff

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March Facility Planners Update

March 3, 2023

The CASH Facility Planners Meeting Update for March 2017 is now available and includes information regarding:

  • Budget Update
  • Legislative & Regulatory Update
  • CASH Maintenance Network Events Very Well Attended at 2017 CASH Annual Conference

Click here to download the Update.

~ CASH Staff

March 28, 2023 State Allocation Board Meeting – CANCELED

March 1, 2023

The March 28, 2023, State Allocation Board meeting has been canceled. The next State Allocation Board meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, April 26, 2023, at 4 p.m. Location will be determined.

We will still be moving forward with our scheduled CASH Day on Tuesday, March 28, 2023.

~ CASH Staff

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