School Facilities: A How-to Guide
This interactive session will prepare charter leaders to more effectively navigate the numerous options, opportunities, and requirements they will encounter on the road to finding and securing school facilities.
In this session, the presenters will cover all the facilities fundamentals, including local zoning, permitting, and occupancy requirements and processes, financing options for purchase and construction, SB 740 eligibility, environmental regulations, Charter Schools Act provisions, and additional regulations greatly impact the facility acquisition and development process. Learn more about the current regulatory climate, recent developments, statewide trends, and insider tips to contemplate as you build out your facilities strategy. The presenters have collectively handled hundreds of school facilities transactions, large and small, ranging from short term leases to 9-figure acquisition and finance deals, and will address new local and statewide bond measures.
Presented by
John Lemmo
Partner/Attorney
Young, Minney & Corr LLP
John Lemmo has advised and represented charter leaders and schools, government agencies, and nonprofits on operations, facilities, finance, governance, innovation and other legal issues for decades. A strong charter advocate, John has litigated many of the seminal charter school lawsuits that have advanced the movement. He regularly champions charter petitions/renewals, material revisions, mergers, authorizer relations, lease/purchase deals, complex regulatory matters, and strategic planning. John is a frequent presenter to CSDC and numerous other professional and academic organizations, covering charter school law and policy, education, and public agency law. He is a partner with Young, Minney & Corr LLP.
Mary Grace Houlihan, PE, LS
Project Director, Northern California
Blueprint
Mary Grace Houlihan is a Bay Area native who has dedicated her career to both public and private development. She has served as a Project Director in Blueprint’s Northern California region since 2021. Before joining Blueprint, she was the Public Works Director for the City of Emeryville during the pandemic and previously held the role of Group Manager at San Francisco BART. Earlier in her career, Mary Grace worked in design and construction on projects spanning schools, public spaces, infrastructure, and housing/commercial development throughout the Bay Area and Central Valley. She is a licensed Civil Engineer and Land Surveyor in California and holds a bachelor’s degree in Geology from the University of California, Berkeley.
Sarah Kollman
Partner/Attorney
Young, Minney & Corr LLP
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. Sarah has played a pivotal role in managing collaborative efforts with various educational organizations, ensuring that schools fully realize their rights under the law. She is a regular presenter on a diverse scope of facilities and risk management matters. Sarah has a proven track record of success representing educational institutions in diverse legal forums, including administrative agencies, courts, school districts, county boards of education, and state regulatory bodies.
