Climate Change Impacts Across California - K-12 Education

Climate Change Impacts Across California K-12 EDUCATION K-12 Education Other Reports Summary in This Series Climate change will have a number of serious impacts on California, including public health risks, damage to property and infrastructure, life-threatening events, and impaired natural resources. This report focuses on how a changing CROSSCUTTING ISSUES climate is affecting early childhood and K-12 education, and key issues the Legislature faces in responding to those impacts. This is one of a series of reports summarizing how climate change will impact different sectors across California. More frequent wildfires and extreme heat waves will increase the likelihood that HEALTH schools and child care providers will need to respond to climate-driven emergencies and public health issues. More extreme weather events and conditions also negatively affect student learning, school facilities, and district budgets. Students HOUSING are likely to experience more frequent climate-related school closures, and schools may need to quickly shift between in-person and remote learning. Districts will face higher and more volatile cost pressures in dealing with the wide-ranging impacts of climate change, from higher utility bills on hotter days to massive recovery efforts TRANSPORTATION after major emergencies. Additionally, school facilities will require modifications to withstand the harsh impacts of climate change. Child care providers and districts with smaller budgets and that serve higher numbers of lower-income families could be particularly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, since they often WORKERS & have greater needs and fewer resources available to address such issues. EMPLOYERS The state has supported several efforts to address climate change impacts on early childhood and K-12 education, such as funding to support schools recovering from wildfires. However, several key questions remain for the Legislature to address. In particular, the Legislature will want to consider how the state can support schools in preparing for and responding to more frequent climate-driven emergencies and public health issues. Steps could include directing state departments to ensure that schools are adequately included in statewide emergency planning, providing funding to districts for emergency management planning and facility risk assessments, and supporting plans to maintain continuity of services when impacts occur. In situations where schools and communities are severely impacted, the Legislature also will want to consider what the state’s role should be in supporting recovery efforts. In particular, a key question will be which types of recovery services should be handled by the state versus local education agencies. Moreover, preparing for and recovering from climate change impacts will come with varying fiscal impacts. Accordingly, the Legislature will want to consider how the state should assist schools in managing these costs—especially schools that face the greatest risk and/or have less capacity to prepare and respond to climate change impacts without state assistance. Gabriel Petek Ap1ril 2022 LEGISLATIVE ANALYST’S OFFICE Introduction This report contains three primary sections: policies and programs to reduce emissions of (1) the major ways climate hazards impact greenhouse gases (such as by encouraging K-12 education, (2) significant existing state-level school buildings to be more energy efficient). efforts underway to address climate change California Faces Five Major Climate impacts in the education sector, and (3) key Hazards. As discussed in depth in our companion questions for the Legislature to consider in report, Climate Change Impacts Across California: response to these impacts. Given the complexity Crosscutting Issues, California faces five of the issues, this report does not contain explicit major hazards as the result of climate change. recommendations or a specific path forward; Specifically, increasing temperatures, a changing rather, it is intended as a framing document hydrology, and rising sea levels will lead to: to help the Legislature adopt a “climate lens” across the K-12 education policy area. Many • Higher average temperatures and of the considerations we discuss also apply to periods of extreme heat. early childhood education and child care. • More frequent and intense droughts. Because some degree of climate change already is occurring and more changes are • Increased risk of floods. inevitable, this document focuses primarily on • More severe wildfires. how the Legislature can think about responding to the resulting impacts. Of note, the state also is • Coastal flooding and erosion. engaged in numerous efforts to limit the degree Below, we discuss specific impacts these to which climate change occurs by enacting hazards will have on K-12 education. Major Climate Change Impacts On K-12 Education In this section, we discuss current and future For instance, the California Department of impacts that climate change will have on early Education (CDE) reports that 104 school districts childhood and K-12 education. Overall, we find were subject to wildfire evacuation orders in that climate change will increase the likelihood 2020. In addition to emergencies, climate change that schools and child care providers will need impacts may also lead to public health issues to respond to climate-driven emergencies and that require modifications to educational delivery public health issues. This likely will require models. For example, extreme heatwaves or poor schools and providers to take steps to avoid air quality from wildfires may make it temporarily disruptions in providing educational services unsafe for students and staff to participate in when impacts occur and to modify their facilities. normal outdoor activities. Accordingly, schools and child care providers will need to establish Climate Change Impacts Increase and continually update emergency preparedness Likelihood That Schools Will Need to and response plans that adequately reflect the Respond to Emergencies and Public Health increased likelihood and intensity of these events. Issues. Schools and child care providers are already beginning to experience the impacts of climate change, most notably from wildfires. 2 LEGISLATIVE ANALYST’S OFFICE Schools Will Need to Take Steps to Avoid will cause disruptions to education, special Disrupting Education and Services. As the education services, school meals, child care, and climate changes, K-12 schools and child care other services. As a result, impacted students will providers will experience more frequent closures face a higher risk of experiencing food insecurity, due to the impacts of wildfires, not only from the learning loss, and, consequently, poorer academic encroaching fires but also from planned power outcomes. Additionally, following traumatic outages and smoke-related impairments to air climate-related closures, students may experience quality. For instance, as shown in Figure 1, mental health impacts, which also can affect their from 2008-09 to 2016-17, an average of about ability to learn. School and child care closures 70 schools experienced wildfire-related emergency also impact parents’ ability to work, depending closures each year. In contrast, the state upon whether they are able to make alternative averaged more than 1,600 schools closed due to care arrangements. Lower-income families are wildfires annually from 2017-18 through 2019-20. likely disproportionately impacted by disruptions These closures affected an average of about to education and child care because they often 950,000 students in 2017-18 through 2019-20. have fewer available resources to help mitigate the disruptions—including challenges such as In some areas of the state, educators and less access to computers, unreliable internet students may also increasingly be impacted by connections, inadequate space at home for flooding that disrupts their ability to get to school remote learning, less capacity for adults to monitor or impairs the functionality of school facilities on a student engagement, less exposure to English for short- or long-term basis. More frequent closures English learners, or inability to arrange and pay Figure 1 Students Have Experienced Increased School Closures Due to Wildfires 2,500 1,200,000 1,000,000 2,000 Students impacted 800,000 Schools impacted 1,500 600,000 1,000 400,000 500 200,000 2002-03 03-04 04-05 05-06 06-07 07-08 08-09 09-10 10-11 11-12 12-13 13-14 14-15 15-16 16-17 17-18 18-19 19-20 Figure adapted from data compiled by CalMatters in August 2020 (https://calmatters.org/education/2020/08/wildfires-school-plans-students/). LEGISLATIVE ANALYST’S OFFICE 3 for child care alternatives. Additionally, districts Responding to Impacts of Climate Change and counties along the state’s southern border Will Have Fiscal Impacts on Schools. Schools have recently seen influxes of unaccompanied and child care providers will incur additional costs minors from Central America due in part to climate in preparing for and responding to the impacts change impacts like the economic impacts of of climate change. Some of these costs will hurricanes, spurring an urgent need to provide be somewhat predictable and can be built into educational services to significant numbers of long-term planning. For example, expected costs children. Schools and child care providers will might include higher utility bills from increased need to plan for how they can maintain continuity reliance on air conditioning during extremely hot of education and services—particularly for more days, making necessary facility modifications, or vulnerable and impacted students—as climate purchasing additional computers and technology change disruptions become more frequent. upgrades to allow for temporary shifts to remote learning when wildfires make air quality unsafe to Climate Change Will Require Modifications attend school. In contrast, the costs associated to Many Existing and Future School Facilities. with responding to climate-driven emergency Historically, infrastructure has been designed events are more difficult to predict and plan under the expectation that future conditions for, and could be significant. Such costs might would be relatively stable and reflect historical include relocating schools to temporary locations, trends. However, as the climate changes, repairing or rebuilding damaged schools, school and child care facilities will need to be purchasing and deploying protective equipment able to withstand more extreme events and such as sandbags to prevent flooding, or providing conditions than those for which they were staff and students with face masks to protect designed. For instance, to meet the demands from smoke. For example, the Camp Fire of of warmer average temperatures and more November 2018 caused significant damage to frequent heatwaves, school facilities in historically schools in the Paradise Unified School District. temperate regions may need to consider Despite one-time federal recovery funds and remodeling playgrounds with more heat-resistant sustained levels of state school funding, a materials and shade structures or adding air 2020 evaluation found the district will continue conditioning systems—which some research has to face long-term fiscal impacts from fire-related found to mitigate the negative impacts of heat cost pressures such as higher attorneys’ fees, on student learning and academic performance. transportation costs, and insurance premiums. Additional modifications might include “hardening” Districts also may face more volatility in enrollment facilities to reduce their risk of catching fire in as some families choose to permanently relocate forested areas, adding air filtration systems to to other places after emergency events— lessen smoke exposure, or elevating structures likely driving enrollment declines in certain along the coast to accommodate occasional communities and growth in others, as well as flooding. Construction of new school facilities will corresponding changes to state school funding. also need to incorporate the impacts of climate change. For example, design standards and siting requirements for new schools will need to consider the increased potential of future flooding from rising sea levels rather than relying solely on historic trends to assess a location’s flood risk. 4 LEGISLATIVE ANALYST’S OFFICE Significant Existing Efforts and Funding The state has supported several efforts Additional Emergency Planning to address climate change impacts on K-12 Requirements for Special Education. education, such as funding to support schools Each student that qualifies for special education recovering from wildfires, as well as department receives an Individualized Education Program (IEP) initiatives to streamline communication between specifying the services and supports their district the state and schools during emergencies. will provide. The 2020-21 budget package Below, we highlight some of the most established a new requirement for IEPs to also significant climate adaptation efforts the state describe how services and supports will be has undertaken related to schools. provided during an emergency when in-person school is closed for more than ten school days. State Law Provides Continued Funding for Schools When Impacted by Disasters. CDE Added Staff Dedicated to School Under current law, schools generate state Emergency Preparedness, Response, and funding based on student attendance. When Recovery. The 2020-21 budget provided CDE a disaster—such as a fire or flood—results in with two positions to support schools across the school closures and lower student attendance, state in planning for, preparing for, and responding schools may request continued state funding to disasters, including climate-driven events. comparable to what they would have received had The 2021-22 budget subsequently provided they not closed. For instance, schools impacted $264,000 in ongoing funding for these positions. by the Camp Fire in 2018 and Tubbs Fire in CDE Has Recently Developed Additional 2017 requested and received such continued Emergency Support Services for Schools. state funding. Additionally, the 2021-22 budget CDE has undertaken several recent activities provided $4.2 million in one-time state funding to help schools respond to climate change to the Paradise Unified School District to help impacts. First, for schools affected by wildfires, cover increased costs following the Camp Fire. CDE helped find facilities that could be used as Schools Impacted by Future Disasters temporary classrooms and apply for state and Must Plan for Independent Study. The federal funding. Second, in 2019, CDE partnered 2021-22 budget package established additional with the California Air Resources Board and other requirements for schools to receive continued organizations to issue statewide guidance for state funding following a disaster-related closure. schools on recommended activities under poor Specifically, as of September 1, 2021, schools air quality conditions. Third, to streamline future must develop a plan to offer independent communication between CDE and schools during study to students when school is closed and emergencies, the department recently established then reopen for in-person instruction once an emergency response system for schools. The permitted under their local health guidance. system allows CDE to directly send out and gather information from schools affected by disasters. LEGISLATIVE ANALYST’S OFFICE 5 Key Issues for Legislative Consideration Because schools are primarily managed it can support local efforts. This could include at the local level, many of the decisions about encouraging the development of up-front mutual how to adapt to climate change impacts will aid agreements between schools for providing be made by governing boards and district and post-disaster services. The Legislature also site administrators. However, given the state’s could consider funding emergency management constitutional responsibility to provide public planning grants for districts and county offices of education, the state has an important role to play education (COEs)—specifically those that face in ensuring that schools are prepared to keep the greatest risk and/or might have less capacity students (1) safe and (2) learning despite the climate to prepare and respond to climate threats without change impacts they will experience and resulting state assistance. Additionally, the Legislature will changes to current operations that they may need want to think about whether the state currently to make. Below, we discuss key issues for the has the information it will need to support Legislature to consider given these important state statewide efforts in preparing for and responding responsibilities in the context of a changing climate, to climate-driven emergencies. For instance, and also summarize these issues in Figure 2. would the state benefit from having a statewide inventory of school facilities to help identify which How Can the State Support Schools in sites might be at risk during fire or flood events? Preparing for and Responding to More Frequent Climate-Driven Emergencies? What Role Should the State Play in With climate-driven emergencies expected Supporting Schools Recovering From to become more frequent and intense, the Climate-Driven Emergencies? While being Legislature will want to ensure that schools are adequately prepared to respond to climate-driven prepared to quickly and capably respond to such emergencies can mitigate losses, there still will be events. Preparedness and response activities situations in which schools and communities will will need to be conducted at both the state and be impacted and recovery efforts will be needed. local levels, with many efforts requiring collaboration across Figure 2 different agencies. At the state Climate Change Impacts on K-12 Education: level, the Legislature will want Key Issues for Legislative Consideration to ensure that schools are 9 adequately included in statewide How can the state support schools in preparing for, responding to, and recovering from more frequent climate-driven emergencies? emergency preparedness and 9 response planning efforts, What role should the state play in assisting schools to navigate climate-driven such as by requiring state public health impacts? agencies to consult with CDE 9 How can the state help support continuity of education and minimize prior to developing state-level disruptions to services? emergency plans or requiring— 9 How can the state ensure that school facilities are prepared to safely withstand and verifying—that local city and the impacts of climate change? county disaster mitigation plans 9 How should the state help schools manage the fiscal impacts associated with incorporate potential impacts climate change? on schools. The Legislature 9 also will need to consider how What additional resources should the state provide to the students and schools most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change? 6 LEGISLATIVE ANALYST’S OFFICE Such efforts may range from fixing or relocating developed capacity to swiftly switch to remote damaged school facilities to finding temporary learning when inclement weather has led to the facilities to continue instruction and providing cancellation of in-person school. The Legislature emergency meal and mental health services. may want to explore statutory changes that would The need for recovery efforts and services likely will require districts to make up instructional days become more regular as climate change impacts lost due to wildfire smoke, extreme heat, or flood become more frequent and intense. Accordingly, events, either through distance learning or other the Legislature will want to consider what the means. The Legislature could also require that state’s role should be in supporting schools that schools and child care providers develop plans are recovering from climate-driven emergencies. for how they will maintain general education and For instance, should the state be responsible for special education services, learning recovery, arranging and bearing the costs of certain recovery emergency meal service, mental health services, services and not others? Should the state’s and child care in cases of extreme weather and approach vary depending on the characteristics of climate-driven events. The Legislature also could the communities that are impacted? For example, consider what role, if any, the state should play should the state provide additional support for in supporting districts and COEs in planning for school districts that have fewer resources to cope or providing education to increased numbers of and recover from climate change impacts compared children who may migrate to the state as a result to those that have larger operating budgets? of climate change impacts they experience in What lessons has the state learned from recent other states or countries. Since connectivity disasters that can inform future recovery efforts? issues and food insecurity are more likely to affect lower-income students, the Legislature will want What Role Should the State Play in Assisting to consider providing additional resources after Schools in Navigating Climate-Driven Public disruptive events specifically to ensure schools Health Impacts? Schools will have varying prioritize meeting the needs of these students. degrees of technical expertise—or, in some Additionally, the Legislature could consider whether cases, none—regarding how they should respond the state should maintain a reserve of portable to climate-driven public health impacts such as classrooms or signal that existing state emergency prolonged periods of extreme heat and wildfire funds could be used for technology devices that smoke. In response, the Legislature may want to could be readily deployed after a climate-driven consider what information or guidance the state emergency to support continuity of services. should provide to help schools’ administrative decision-making. For instance, the state could How Can the State Ensure That School set clear guidelines on what particulate matter air Facilities Are Prepared to Safely Withstand quality levels should prompt school closures or the Impacts of Climate Change? Schools will what temperatures should shift activities indoors. need to conduct assessments, plan, and implement strategies to ensure that their facilities are more How Can the State Help Support Continuity climate resilient. Policy levers the Legislature could of Educational Services? As disruptions to consider include providing technical assistance and education and child care services occur more financial incentives for facility risk assessments and frequently, the state will want to consider ways to adaptation planning, updating the state’s School support schools and child care centers to ensure Facilities Program and school facility regulations continued access to services. For instance, to incorporate climate change impacts, and in recent years, districts in other states have directing state agencies to collaborate and develop LEGISLATIVE ANALYST’S OFFICE 7 statewide guidance for ways school facilities could Facilities Program). In contrast, schools may find it be modified to be more resilient to climate change. more challenging to fully pay for more significant, The Legislature also could consider reserving a unpredictable costs such as major damages to specified amount in future school facility bonds facilities. Are there ways the state can encourage for projects explicitly intended to prepare facilities districts and schools to establish regional risk pools for the anticipated impacts of climate change. to help cover costs associated with response and recovery following a climate-driven event? Should How Should the State Help Schools Manage the Legislature consider statutory changes to help the Fiscal Impacts Associated With Climate districts affected by climate-driven fluctuations Change? The Legislature will want to consider in student enrollment and, consequently, state the role the state should play in addressing the funding? The Legislature also could explore many fiscal impacts schools will experience in whether the significant potential costs associated preparing for and responding to the impacts of with experiencing climate disasters should factor climate change. Specifically, which types of costs into setting district reserve caps, guidance for and financial risks should be borne at the state minimum reserve levels, or the state’s fiscal level, as compared to relying primarily on local oversight process. For example, should schools resources? For instance, the Legislature could located in regions that have been identified as decide that because districts, charter schools, high fire risk areas be required to carry larger and child care centers should be able to plan and reserves? What special provisions—if any—should budget for the more predictable fiscal impacts of the Legislature consider to help prepare smaller changing climate conditions, they should cover districts and child care centers to fiscally rebound costs such as increasing utility bills and planned from climate-driven events, given their smaller facility modifications within their operational budgets operating budgets and economies of scale? and existing state programs (such as the School Conclusion Climate change will have increasingly severe effects of climate change will be challenging. impacts on early childhood and K-12 education— However, the consequences of inaction could particularly from more frequent wildfires and be even more severe, and will worsen over extreme heat waves. These threats will layer time as climate change impacts become more on top of schools’ existing challenges, such frequent and intense. In many cases, schools as addressing achievement gaps and meeting will struggle to prepare for these impacts on their the needs of English learners. Confronting the own and will need state guidance and support. LAO Publications This report was prepared by Amy Li and Frank Jimenez, and reviewed by Rachel Ehlers and Anthony Simbol. The Legislative Analyst’s Office (LAO) is a nonpartisan office that provides fiscal and policy information and advice to the Legislature. To request publications call (916) 445-4656. This report and others, as well as an e-mail subscription service, are available on the LAO’s website at www.lao.ca.gov. The LAO is located at 925 L Street, Suite 1000, Sacramento, California 95814. 8 LEGISLATIVE ANALYST’S OFFICE