At the March 14, 2019 School Board meeting, Brendle Group consultant Conor Merrigan presented an update on the development of the Corvallis School District’s Sustainability Management Plan. The final plan is to be published in May. Highlights from the report included a timeline of this year’s planning activities and the recommendation of a sustainability coordinator to implement the plan next year.
Sustainability Management Plan Timeline
From September through March 2019, consultants have focused on gathering baseline data, and developing a strategy and vision for the district. The review included prior and current sustainability efforts within the district, alignment with the district’s core values, and a review of the City of Corvallis Climate Action Plan and Benton County’s Sustainability Plan.
School sustainability leaders have provided input throughout the process, culminating with a review and prioritization of activities in four strategic areas: Energy and Water, Facilities, Food and Waste, and Transportation. Additionally, the Sustainability Summit, held on February 13, gave community members an opportunity to provide input on their top five strategies for the school district. This stakeholder feedback was incorporated into Brendle Group’s analysis.
From March through April, based on the staffing decision made by the district, a prioritization of the plan’s goals and metrics will be developed.
In May, the Sustainability Management Plan will be completed including a finalized work plan and reporting templates. Key elements of the plan include prioritized sustainability goals with specific strategies that are measurable and achievable. The plan will be updated annually, based on progress and resources available.
Sustainability Coordinator Position Recommended
The Sustainability Coordinator position was recommended and the primary role of this staff person will be to actively manage the annual plan and follow a regular review cycle. The coordinator’s work flow will include goal setting and determining what metrics will be used to measure success, annual alignment of resources to achieve goals, engagement of staff, students, and community partners, and regular collection and reporting of sustainability data.
According to the report to the school board, “A centralized District Sustainability Coordinator will increase equity significantly by helping all schools build on the examples at successful schools and ensuring that efforts are distributed equitably.” Without a sustainability coordinator, “There are potential gaps in the district’s capacity to actively manage the sustainability work in the district. Sustainability efforts will not be evenly distributed since they rely on School Sustainability Leaders who may be over-burdened or have a lower level of volunteer engagement at their school.”
Sustainability Coordinator job duties are envisioned to include the following:
- Coordinate sustainability efforts across District 30%
- Increase student engagement; integrate sustainability into educational model 20%
- Support implementation of strategies 15%
- Lead reporting and annual update process 15%
- Central point of contact for sustainability issues 10%
- Identify and pursue funding for position and programs 10%
The next step will be for district leaders to make a decision to budget for this position in the 2019-20 budget. The budget and the superintendent’s budget message will be presented to the Budget Committee on May 2 in the Corvallis School District Board Room.