It’s Time for CASH
In our industry, this is the season of CASH – the Coalition for Adequate School Housing – and its annual conference, an important event for anyone connected to the school facilities sector in California. We’re eagerly gearing up for another powerful few days of inspiration, education and collaboration in Sacramento from February 28 to March 1.
As in years past, VPCS will serve as an enthusiastic sponsor of the 2024 CASH conference. We’re also a premium supporter of the Top Golf event, which is always a lot of fun. Plus, we invite all attendees to stop by our booth (#230/232) on the exhibit floor.
In addition, here are a few other ways VPCS will be involved in this year’s event:
Participating in Educational Sessions. Members of our team will serve as panelists at three different sessions.
- Vice President Kelli Van Pelt Jurgenson will round out a panel of industry veterans to introduce the basics of K-12 facilities leadership in “New to Facilities Leadership? Here’s a Guide.” “We’ll provide an overview for people who may have come to facilities leadership from the educational side rather than from the construction or facilities side,” said Jurgenson. “We want to help people be successful with all aspects of their jobs.” This session was so popular last year that it was brought back for this year’s attendees. Wednesday, 2/28 at 10:45.
- Jennifer Gibb will help run a clinic on the advantages of the design-build methodology, particularly as applied to early educational facilities for pre-K and transitional kindergarten students. “As facility leaders, we need to be familiar with all delivery methods and the design-build model is a great option for these types of structures,” said Gibb. “In the clinic, we’ll use VPCS’s experience in the Lemon Grove School District to illustrate how this approach can be successfully implemented with Title 5 and Title 22 Regulations.” “Pre-K and Pre-School Educational Classroom Design and Title 5 and Title 22 Compliance” will be held Wednesday, 2/28 at 3:45.
- Jennifer will be back on the agenda on Thursday, 2/29 at 3:00 as a panelist at “Wrapping up ESSER and What’s Next.” This clinic will address the nuances of Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) Funds as the program winds down in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. “We’ll discuss the various questions that people have about how to support their districts once these one-time monies go away,” said Gibb. “There are other funding sources out there and we’ll explore them.”
Celebrating Another SFLA Graduate. Team Van Pelt will be on hand to cheer on our own Mary Fitzpatrick as she graduates from the CASH School Facilities Leadership Academy (SFLA) at a ceremony on Wednesday afternoon. Mary will be the fifth member of our company to complete this rigorous year-long training program – joining Kelli Van Pelt Jurgenson, Jennifer Gibb, Brian Cameron and Minh Dao – with Jenny Choi joining the cohort that begins the program this year. (Kelli Van Pelt Jurgenson and Jennifer Gibb also both serve as mentors for current and recent SFLA cohort members.) We’re so proud of these dedicated employees whose hard work and commitment to thought leadership help us better serve our district clients.
Supporting CASH Curriculum. VPCS employees help to shape the programs that make the CASH annual conference such a highly regarded source of professional education. For several years, Kelli Van Pelt Jurgenson and Jennifer Gibb have both been integral to the development of CASH’s fiscal programming, which speaks to our firm’s depth of expertise that goes well beyond basic construction management capabilities.
We look forward to seeing our friends and colleagues in Sacramento!
February 26, 2024