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Student sustainability committee and county office present facilities audit, outline electrification and waste priorities
Summary
Students from the newly formed Jefferson Union Sustainability Committee reported accomplishments and goals; San Mateo County Office of Education presented a district facilities audit that highlighted aging gas appliances, existing solar arrays and near-term regulatory deadlines for building electrification.
A student-led sustainability committee and county education staff presented an update to the Jefferson Union High School District Board of Trustees on the committee’s first-year work and a county-compiled green facilities data report.
The presentation mattered because students are helping implement board-adopted Green School Operations policy and the county report identifies specific facilities changes — including replacing aging gas-fired rooftop units and water heaters — that could reduce the district’s greenhouse-gas footprint and prepare campuses for upcoming regional rules on combustion appliances.
Tina Van Rapport, deputy superintendent (introducing the students and the county presentation), said the committee was created after a board adoption of a green operations policy and described the group as “tasked with helping lead the way in building a more environmentally responsible and sustainable school community.”
Julie Hilborn, environmental literacy and sustainability coordinator at the San Mateo County Office of Education, presented a facilities audit covering on-site solar, tree canopy, natural-gas appliances and other campus assets. Hilborn said every district school except Thornton has solar panels on site and noted that many rooftop heating units, water heaters and other gas-consuming equipment are more than 20 years old at several campuses.
Students on the Jefferson Union Sustainability Committee described their work. Calvin Chan, student representative from Terra Nova High School, read the committee’s mission to make “district-wide environmentally conscious changes.” Ava Litz and other student members summarized subcommittee work on communications, waste audits, events and SMART goals for curriculum and campus culture. The committee reported it has met nine times since December and is developing waste-education materials, signage and proposals for try-bin (compost/recycling/landfill) systems.
County staff recommended several near-term actions the district could pursue with technical and funding partners: replace smaller gas-fired rooftop units and water heaters with electric heat-pump systems when equipment ages out; consider battery storage to pair with on-site solar; perform waste audits and improve bin labeling; and increase tree canopy to reduce campus heat-island effects. Hilborn also flagged new Bay Area air-district rules phasing in stricter NOx limits, noting that after 2027 purchasing new gas-burning appliances will become increasingly restricted.
Board members thanked students and county staff and urged broader student engagement and outreach. Superintendent Presta and several trustees encouraged the committee to pursue district and community partnerships and mentioned existing district work with outside contractors to seek grant funding for HVAC and electrification projects.
The students and county staff asked the board for continued support for an adult facilitator stipend (already authorized by the board), for assistance applying to grants such as those offered by Peninsula Clean Energy, and for permission to present an annual update to the board each spring. The board did not take a formal vote on recommendations at the meeting; the presentation concluded with acknowledgement and offers of follow-up from district staff and county partners.
