Safe Routes to School E-News

Issue #47: November 2009

1. SRTSNP Releases Disabilities and Non-Infrastructure Papers
Check them out at www.saferoutespartnership.org 

The Safe Routes to School National Partnership (the Partnership) is pleased to announce the publication of two new policy papers.

We created the Serving Students with Disabilities Through Safe Routes to School Programs position paper to apprise Congress, the U.S. Department of Transportation, and the National Center for Safe Routes to School (the Clearinghouse) on recommended strategies for meeting the stated goal in section 1404 of SAFETEA-LU for serving students with disabilities through Safe Routes to School programs. The position paper is organized to address the background and need of serving students with disabilities, challenges and benefits, and four recommendations which focus on training and curricula; outreach to parents and students; pilot programs; and evaluation of the inclusion efforts for students with disabilities in Safe Routes to School programs. We hope that this paper will lead toward increased action and focus on serving students with disabilities through existing SRTS funds.

The Partnership also just finalized a non-infrastructure white paper - Making the Most of Non-Infrastructure Safe Routes to School Funds. In many states, applications for non-infrastructure funding have been low or of poor quality, but non-infrastructure programs are a critical element of making SRTS succeed. The federally-funded SRTS program requires that at least 10% of a state’s SRTS funding and at most 30% of the funding be spent on non-infrastructure activities throughout the state. With additional statewide leadership to provide outreach, training, and material resources related to education, encouragement, and enforcement, more local communities will apply for funding for comprehensive programs. This paper of Nonincludes examples of various programs and approaches states are using to help increase the number and quality of non-infrastructure programs, which will also lead toward more walking and bicycling to school in a safe manner, goals of the federal program.

Non-infrastructure elements of SRTS programs are cost-effective and important for achieving the goals of the program. There is a great need to have states and practitioners share more information about successful SRTS non-infrastructure strategies that are already in place. If you have additional examples, please contact Brooke Driesse at info@saferoutespartnership.org and we will make periodic updates to this paper.  

2. Safe Routes to School National Partnership’s Federal Update
Transportation and climate bills still in the works

Transportation bill – Congress has again pushed back a decision on the timeline for the transportation bill. All transportation programs have been extended one more time, at FY2009 funding levels, until December 18, 2009. There continues to be disagreement between the House and the Senate about the best way of proceeding on a long-term transportation bill. The Safe Routes to School National Partnership is using this delay to ensure that Members of Congress know the value of Safe Routes to School.

• During October, three more Senators [Sens. Nelson (D-FL), Klobuchar (D-MN), and Wyden (D-OR)] joined S. 1156, the Safe Routes to School Program Reauthorization bill. Please – keep contacting your Senators to ask them to cosponsor so we can continue to expand support for this important bill.
• In the House, we continue to talk with Members about the important changes that Chairman Oberstar (D-MN) included for Safe Routes to School in the draft Surface Transportation Authorization Act.
• Congressman Blumenauer (D-OR) will soon be introducing legislation to expand Safe Routes to School to high schools; we will circulate additional information and a call to action as soon as that happens.
• Finally, we want to thank everyone who participated in our Dear Congress campaign. We received more than 800 letters from parents, children, and community leaders and are now sharing those with members of Congress.

Climate bill – Senators Boxer and Kerry have released the funding allocations and updated language for their Senate climate bill, the Clean Energy Jobs and American Power Act. The bill language requiring large metropolitan areas to develop transportation plans reducing greenhouse gas emissions remains intact. In other positive news—funding for the transportation section has increased significantly over the House climate bill, which had provided only up to 1% of climate revenues for transportation. Over the forty-year life of the Senate bill, anywhere from 1.8% to 3.1% of climate revenues each year would go to transportation, averaging 2.4% per year. Half of this funding would go to transit agencies and the other half would be used for transportation planning and competitive grants for green transportation projects. While this falls short of the 10% for transportation that we were supporting through CLEAN-TEA, it’s a step in the right direction. Transportation emissions represent nearly 30% of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions. The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee held a series of hearings on the legislation last week. This week, the Committee held a business meeting to consider the bill, but Republicans boycotted the session. Next steps are still under discussion.

3. We Need your Input for New Safe Routes to School Resources
Participate in brainstorming sessions for guides on PE and diverse communities

The Safe Routes to School National Partnership recently received funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American Public Health Association to produce two new resource guides on Safe Routes to School. We are looking for volunteers to participate in brainstorming sessions in early December on what these guides should include. There will be two different resource guides and brainstorming sessions:

• Best practices for implementing SRTS in low-income, urban, rural, and/or minority communities
• Materials for school leaders tying SRTS to efforts to build lifelong skills into PE and increase minutes of physical activity

During the brainstorming sessions, we will be asking for your input and suggestions on challenges you are facing, what you think should be included in the guides, and whether you know of good examples and practices we could feature in the guides. Each session will last no more than two hours. With your help, we can make these resource guides more valuable and beneficial to local SRTS practitioners and education professionals.

To volunteer for the brainstorming sessions, email Margo Pedroso at margo@saferoutespartnership.org no later than November 20. Please indicate which of the two sessions you want to join. We will get back to all volunteers with the schedule and call-in information for the sessions. Thank you for your interest!

4. Safe Routes to School State Network Project Update
The State Network Project is expanding

The SRTS State Network Project started in 2007 to increase the number of children walking and bicycling to schools by convening stakeholders to reduce policy barriers and leverage additional funding in ten network jurisdictions (CA, DC, GA, IL, KY, LA, NY, OK, TX, and VA). Thanks to the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s grant funding for 2010-2011, the project will be expanding to fifteen states. Additional funding is pending which would expand the State Network Project by another five states, bringing the total to twenty states around the nation. All fifty states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico are eligible to apply by November 20, 2009. Applicants must be employees or contractors of non-profit organizations or universities (for-profit firms and government agencies are not eligible). We are encouraging only one application from each state, so entities interested in applying are encouraged to build a network or expand on an existing one. States that are awarded contracts will receive funding for a 40% FTE organizer who will convene and facilitate a network of stakeholders in the state to accelerate policy changes that will benefit increased physical activity through walking and bicycling to school.

We are hosting a national webinar to answer questions about the State Network Project application process on Friday, November 13, 2009 at 1-2pm eastern (12-1pm central; 11am-12pm mountain; 10-11am pacific; 8-9am hawaii). Eligible attendees are limited to the executive director and projected state network organizer of the lead organization in your state. To attend, please RSVP via email to Brooke Driesse, communications manager, by Tuesday, November 10, 5pm eastern, and include any questions you would like answered about the State Network Project application process. Please also include the names and emails of the two people attending, and the name of the organization you represent. You will receive a toll-free call in number and webinar instructions by Thursday, November 12, 2009. Due to the large number of callers expected, all phone lines will be muted during the call, except for the speakers, director, Deb Hubsmith, and state network director, Robert Ping, who will be answering the questions which were submitted ahead of time.

For application materials go to: www.saferoutespartnership.org/state/4373/325375. Please review these materials in detail prior to submitting your questions for the webinar.

5. Help Support the Safe Routes to School National Partnership
Make your tax deductible donation at www.saferoutespartnership.org/getinvolved/3765

The Safe Routes to School National Partnership is encouraging our partners and individuals who work on SRTS programs to consider making a modest financial contribution to help us leverage additional funding, develop resources, and make policy changes throughout the country.

Contributions from individuals and organizations are particularly important for diversifying our funding base because we are largely supported by project-based grants and contracts. As strong advocates for additional Safe Routes to School funding through federal legislation and improved policies at the US Department of Transportation, we rely on less restricted funds.

With your help, we can continue to build the momentum for safe, healthy communities for our children. In part, your donation will help our advocacy efforts to significantly increase funding for Safe Routes to School, and to strengthen and simplify program implementation. Just imagine what your state and local community could do with additional funding for Safe Routes to School programs.

We welcome contributions of any amount. Please visit our website to make your tax-deductible donation on line or for the address to send a check. Thank you for your support.

6. We Are Hiring
Temporary State Network Associate and CA Policy Manager positions are open

State Network Associate
We’re seeking a temporary, 30 hour/week organized professional with proven success in non-profit administrative, organization, and communications work to assist the Safe Routes to School (SRTS) National Partnership’s state network director (Robert Ping) in launching a new two-year phase of the Safe Routes to School State Network Project from November 23, 2009 through April 10, 2010. Applications are being considered on a rolling basis. For more information on the position and how to apply, click here.

California Policy Manager
We’re seeking a full-time California policy manager who will be based in the Los Angeles area. The policy manager will influence transportation funding allocations and policies at the state-level and in the six-county region governed by the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG). The CA Policy Manager reports to Deb Hubsmith, director, who is chair of the CA State Network. Deadline to apply is Friday, November 20. For more information on the position and how to apply, click here.

7. No Biking Policy Partially Reversed in Saratoga Springs, NY
The Partnership is working with NPLAN to provide more resources

The bicycling to school ban in Saratoga Springs, New York has gained national media attention thanks to advocates on the ground in Saratoga Springs, and people like Newt Gingrich picking up the issue and making a big deal out of it. The Partnership submitted a letter to the school board in advance of their October 13 meeting encouraging them to overturn the bike ban and to establish a committee to create a positive policy on walking and bicycling to school.

The school board enacted a new policy in October. The policy is an improvement, as it does say that bicycling is allowed on school properties—but there are a number of conditions:

• Children must be accompanied by a parent or adult; 
• Parents must give written permission; and 
• Each individual school’s administration and planning committee must determine that it is safe for bikes to access school property.

Our New York SRTS Network is continuing to work on this issue at the state and local level. Additionally, the Partnership is working with the National Policy & Legal Analysis Network to Prevent Childhood Obesity (NPLAN) to create numerous legal resources – including fact sheets on liability and general policies supporting SRTS that will help communities across the country. These resources should start to become available in spring 2010.

8. Ben W. Murch School Receives James L. Oberstar SRTS Award
Elementary school in Washington, DC recognized for excellence

Ben W. Murch Elementary School was chosen as the 2009 recipient of the James L. Oberstar Safe Routes to School Award, a national award for outstanding achievement in implementing a Safe Routes to School Program. U.S. Rep. James L. Oberstar, chairman of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, presented the award to
Principal Dawn Ellis and the school’s 17-member student Safety Patrol at a celebration the morning of October 26.

"Murch Elementary School has made incredible progress improving the school’s safe walking and bicycling culture and infrastructure," said Chairman Oberstar. "I am pleased to help recognize the tremendous efforts made here in Washington, DC and hope Murch will inspire similar programs at other schools across the country. Together, we are changing the transportation habits of an entire generation of young people, and shaping a healthier, safer, less energy-dependent nation."

The National Center for Safe Routes to School selected Murch Elementary School as this year’s recipient based on its exemplary Safe Routes to School program successes, including: reversing school policy that prohibited students from bicycling to school without special permission; building community support for walking and bicycling to school, including neighborhood support for new sidewalk construction; and implementing an effective student Safety Patrol program to enforce safe driving behavior around the school.

The James L. Oberstar Safe Routes to School Award is named for the congressman to honor his dedication to American schoolchildren as the pioneer for the National Safe Routes to School Program. Chairman Oberstar sponsored the Safe Routes to School legislation that strives to create safe settings to enable more parents and children to walk and bicycle to school. For more information on the Award, visit http://www.saferoutesinfo.org/news_room/2009-10-26_Oberstar%20Award.cfm.

9. New Funding Opportunity with the Health Impact Project
Applications accepted on rolling basis until all grant funds are committed

The Health Impact Project, a collaboration of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and The Pew Charitable Trusts, is a national initiative designed to promote the use of health impact assessments (HIAs) as a decision-making tool for policymakers. HIAs are a flexible, data-driven approach that identifies the health consequences of new policies, and develops practical strategies to enhance their health benefits and minimize adverse effects.

The project issued a rolling call for proposals and is now accepting applications to fund up to 15 HIA demonstrations at the local, state, or tribal level. Grants will range from between $25,000 and $150,000 each. For more information and to apply online, visit www.healthimpactproject.org.

10. SRTS News Throughout the Country
Local and state SRTS program news links

Safe Routes to School news around the country keeps growing! Updated regularly, see our new SRTS in the News media center for the latest in local, state, and national SRTS news.

Help Grow the Partnership!

Joining the Partnership is free. Please encourage other organizations, schools, businesses, and government agencies to join the Safe Routes to School National Partnership, a network of more than 400 organizations and agencies.

Funding for the Safe Routes to School National Partnership has been generously provided by the Bikes Belong Coalition, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, SRAM Cycling Fund, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Kaiser Permanente, and partner affiliates.

For more information, contact: 

Brooke Driesse, Communications Manager
Safe Routes to School National Partnership 
brooke@saferoutespartnership.org
www.saferoutespartnership.org
(619) 272-0097