More money is being spent on school construction and renovation in this country than ever before. Likewise, maintenance, cleaning and repairs represent significant ongoing public expenditures. We have an unprecedented window of opportunity to design high performance school buildings for the twenty-first century.

We call on all members of our community:

Citizens: Demand a high performance learning environment for every child. Insist on ending the deficiencies and inequities in the conditions of public school buildings. Ensure that our investment in quality high performance facilities is not just for some, but for all students. Your involvement is vital to securing high performance school buildings.

School District Officials: Commit to working with the community to create and maintain high-performance school buildings.

State and local school boards: Adopt policies that create and support healthy, sustainable, educationally enriching, community-centered, and cost effective schools.

Governors: Adopt high performance standards for all school design, construction and renovation projects and provide a regulatory climate and financial flexibility that foster high performance planning, design, construction, and operation.

Mayors and other local elected officials: Commit to be engaged and involved in the development, planning, and construction or renovation of schools and other community investment projects that are related to education to ensure a linkage between education and related city services focused on children and youth.

The Federal Government: Set and enforce standards, provide technical assistance, and earmark funding to support planning, protect the natural environment, conserve energy, and guarantee healthy indoor environments in all school buildings.

Architects, engineers, and the construction industry: Strengthen capacity for and commitment to designing and building high performance schools and provide local officials with the information and support they need to build
such facilities.

Advocates for education, health, environment, community development, and historic preservation: Insist on high performance schools for every child. Integrate this declaration into your message and agenda and build coalitions
across issues to ensure that every child attends school in a high performance school building.

Foundations: Foster innovation and replication by providing funds for planning, technical assistance, communications, and public policy initiatives for high performance school buildings.