School Siting 2-Part Webinar Series

Traditionally, schools have been considered centers for communities and located within walking and bicycling distance of the students who the schools serve. State and local-level decisions regarding school siting, construction, and design have significant impacts on whether homes are located within walking and cycling distance of schools. The National Center for Education Statistics notes that the number of schools in the United States decreased from 262,000 in 1930 to 91,000 today, while student population over the same time has risen from 28 million to 53.5 million. As the average school size has grown, this trend reflects the consolidation of small schools and new schools increasingly located on large sites away from neighborhoods they serve as the student population continues to grow.

This school siting workshop encourages school districts, local governments, and the private sector to work together to improve school siting policies. This will assist decision-makers to take advantage of existing infrastructure that will enable walking and biking to school, avoid hazardous traffic conditions, promote orderly and efficient development in the region, and best serve and support students, families, and communities. This course is geared toward decision-makers and will provide information on which maintaining agencies should be included in their process and why. This two-part training will include consideration for livable communities, transportation concerns, and will distribute school siting and coordination handouts to attendees.

SRTS is a statewide program, funded by the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT), whose goal is to make it safer for more children to walk and bike to school. This training is being brought to you by FDOT through the Florida Local Technical Assistance Program (LTAP) Center. The Florida LTAP Center provides quality training, technical assistance, & technology transfer to the Florida local transportation workforce.

Learning Objectives:

✔ Describe and define school siting.
✔ Identify the requirements and guidelines for school siting projects.
✔ Provide an overview of school planning and infrastructure implementation.
✔ Provide communication and partnership building examples concerning school siting and SRTS.
✔ Describe some of Florida’s best practices for safe and active transportation through SRTS.

Part 1 – Introduction and Engaging Stakeholders (7/7/2022): Session one will introduce and define school siting as it relates to SRTS. We will discuss state school siting requirements and guidelines, provide an overview of school planning and infrastructure implementation, how to communicate and build partnerships between state, local, and private entities, and how FDOT continues to encourage active transportation and safety through the state SRTS program.

Part 2 – Roundtable Q&A Discussion (7/21/2022): Session two will be a Q&A discussion with panel members to discuss the infrastructure, challenges, and considerations of school siting as it relates to SRTS. We will continue the discussion on site assessment, stakeholder engagement, and planning for the future.

This webinar series is provided at no cost and will award a certificate to those fully attending and completing the webinar. Professional Development Hours (2.0 PDHs) will be provided to those that request these during registration. A total of 4.0 PDHs can be earned for fully attending both sessions.

Please note – space for this webinar is limited, and Florida local agencies are being given first priority!

Presenters/Panelists:

• Amanda Day, President, Day Communications Inc.
• Renee M. Kamen, Manager, Planning & Siting, Hillsborough County Public Schools
• Ruth Steiner, Director, Center for Health and the Built Environment at University of Florida
• Brenda Young, State Safety Engineer, FDOT
• Melissa Zornitta, Planning Commission Executive Director, Hillsborough MPO