Throughout the past two decades, Sarah Kollman has been a dedicated and passionate advocate for education and schools of choice. She has focused her practice on safeguarding the rights of educational institutions to high-quality educational facilities, with a primary emphasis on Proposition 39, lease negotiations, facility purchases, and tax-exempt conduit bond transactions. Sarah's expertise also extends to areas such as zoning and building code compliance, public works requirements, and construction contracts.
Charter schools face numerous liability risks, including facility safety, sexual harassment and bull…Charter schools face numerous liability risks, including facility safety, sexual harassment and bullying, problematic contract terms, cyber liability, employee claims, field trips, and transportation. Despite this daunting list, there are a variety of protective steps charter schools can take to minimize these and other risks.
This session will review the most common risk management issues for charter schools and will provide participants with useful tools to minimize liability exposure.
SB 740 provides a significant funding resource for charter schools to improve, rent, or lease privat…SB 740 provides a significant funding resource for charter schools to improve, rent, or lease private facilities. School leaders should be certain that their leases and improvement costs meet SB 740's specific requirements. This session will discuss the do's and don'ts of SB 740, providing participants with the tools they need to ensure compliance with SB 740 while discussing lessons learned from schools that secured eligibility and from those that did not.
Charter schools often struggle to find safe, affordable facilities—but there are a variety of fund…Charter schools often struggle to find safe, affordable facilities—but there are a variety of funding options available to help secure your dream school site! From tax-exempt bonds and New Markets Tax Credits to construction loans, as well as state funded programs, each avenue has particular benefits and requirements.
This session will break down these financing options, helping you identify the best fit for your school’s needs. Learn how to navigate eligibility criteria, make strategic funding decisions, and kickstart your financing journey. Don’t miss this opportunity to unlock the resources to build, expand, and thrive!
A school has won a facilities award—now what? Turning Proposition 2 (Prop 2) and Charter School Fa…A school has won a facilities award—now what? Turning Proposition 2 (Prop 2) and Charter School Facility Incentive Grant Program (Incentive Grant) awards into completed school projects requires far more than securing funding. From Public Contract Code compliance to managing development timelines and avoiding costly missteps, charter leaders must navigate a highly technical process with little margin for error.
This session is designed for charter school leaders, operations staff, and board members seeking practical guidance on moving from award notification to a permanent school facility. Drawing on legal expertise and real world project experience, presenters will walk attendees through the full lifecycle of a state funded facilities project—including fund deployment, compliance requirements, procurement considerations, and common pitfalls that can delay or derail progress.
Participants will hear directly from a seasoned charter facilities attorney and school leaders who have successfully completed Prop 2 and Incentive Grant funded projects. The session will highlight lessons learned, compliance strategies, and decision points that materially affect schedules, budgets, and long term outcomes. Participants will leave with a clearer understanding of how to responsibly steward public facilities funding, reduce risk, and translate state awards into high quality, permanent campuses that serve under resourced communities.
