In 1998, LAUSD began an aggressive, multi-phased, multi-billion dollar program, the New School Construction Program, to deliver new school facilities to relieve critical student overcrowding throughout the district. This overcrowding has resulted from:

• Increased student enrollment
• State-mandated class-size reduction
• Lack of funding to expand capacity prior to this effort

Under this Program, LAUSD identifies target areas of need, acquires necessary sites, designs and develops school plans, and constructs schools as quickly as possible. The goal of the Program is to operate all schools on a two-semester 180-day school calendar.

The New School Construction Program provides additional school capacity in a phased approach to accommodate projected student population and enrollment growth. Phase I construction of approximately 75,000 new classroom seats is underway. The citizens of Los Angeles provided funding for Phase II with the passage of Measure K in November 2002. Phase II will provide approximately 35,000 new seats. Future phases will provide approximately 90,000 additional new seats.

LAUSD has begun preparation of a Program Environmental Impact Report (Program EIR), consistent with the California Environmental Quality Act, to evaluate program-wide environmental impacts of Phase II and future phases of the Program. Phase I projects were reviewed through individual site-specific environmental reports.


The California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), a state law passed in 1972 and most recently amended on January 1, 2000, requires agencies to disclose to the public the environmental effects anticipated from a proposed project. One of the key objectives of CEQA is to protect the environment by requiring agencies to reduce or eliminate environmental impacts through mitigation measures. LAUSD must consider these environmental impacts when making decisions on school-related projects and must mitigate these impacts to the best of its ability. If a project is approved and still has significant environmental impacts after mitigation, then CEQA requires that agencies disclose to the public its reason for approving a project through a Statement of Overriding Considerations.


LAUSD is preparing a Program EIR to evaluate the environmental effects of Phase II and future phases of the New School Construction Program. . In total, the Program will provide approximately 200,000 new classroom seats (125,000 in Phase II and future phases plus 75,000 seats provided under Phase I). The Program EIR assesses and analyzes the impacts associated with the construction of the 125,000 new seats of Phase II and future phases throughout the entire district, but not at any specific existing schools or potential new school sites.[1]

This Program-level analysis allows the district to develop a streamlined approach for future environmental reviews of specific school projects. The Program EIR analysis evaluates the following environmental issues:

• Traffic and Transportation
• Air Quality
• Noise
• Biological Resources
• Cultural and Historical Resources
• Geology, Soils
• Mineral Resources
• Hazards and Hazardous Materials
• Hydrology and Water Quality
• Land Use Planning
• Recreation
• Agricultural Resources
• Aesthetics
• Population and Housing
• Public Services and Utilities

CEQA allows for and encourages public participation during the environmental review process. Four primary opportunities exist for your input:

1. Scoping Meetings: LAUSD host s throughout the district to receive comments and suggestions on the scope and content considered and analyzed in the Program EIR. LAUSD encourages and accepts both written and oral comments at these meetings and throughout the 30-day scoping period. Comments during this phase of the project will serve to identify key environmental issues and focus the level of analysis included in the Program EIR.
2. Public Comment Period for the Draft Program EIR: LAUSD will prepare and circulate to the public a Draft Program EIR after completing its analysis. Documents will be available for review by the public at 30 repository locations throughout the district and on the Program EIR website (www.laschools.org/oehs/peir). During the 45-day review period the public is invited to review the Draft Program EIR and provide written comments to LAUSD.
3. Draft Program EIR Public Comment Meetings: During the 45-day public review period, LAUSD will hold another set of public meetings to receive comments on the Draft Program EIR. At these meetings, LAUSD will present a brief overview of the CEQA review process and summarize the environmental impacts of the Program. The public is invited to provide oral and/or written comments on the Draft Program EIR. LAUSD will respond to all comments received during the public review period on the Draft Program EIR in the Final Program EIR.
4. Facilities Committee and Board of Education: LAUSD will prepare a Final Program EIR document that includes responses to comments made on the Draft Program EIR and a Mitigation Monitoring Program. Facilities New School Construction will present the Final Program EIR to the LAUSD Board of Education at three separate meetings. The first meeting will be before the Board's Facilities Committee. At the final two meetings the Board will receive the Program EIR and consider certification of the document. The public is welcome to speak before the Facilities Committee and the Board of Education at any of these three meetings.