53 school districts serving 2 million students develop new indoor air quality plans

Facilities, environmental health, operations, and sustainability leaders in 25 states will receive technical assistance from the USGBC to create district-specific IAQ plans addressing building health, energy use, and operating costs.
Sept. 17, 2026
4 min read
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Key Highlights

  • Participants include districts ranging from small schools to large urban systems, with a focus on Title I and Tribal-serving schools to promote equity in indoor air quality management.
  • The fellowship emphasizes proactive planning over reactive responses, incorporating tools like the EPA's IAQ Tools for Schools and customized templates for district-specific needs.
  • Effective IAQ management can lead to better building operations, cost savings, and healthier environments for students and staff, especially amid increasing environmental and regulatory pressures.
  • The program offers personalized training from indoor air quality and energy management specialists, fostering knowledge sharing and best practices among districts nationwide.
Courtesy of Raj Das | USGBC
Phelps Elementary School | LEED Gold | Rockland, MA

Phelps Elementary School | LEED Gold | Rockland, MA

Fifty-three K-12 public school system leaders representing more than 2 million students will spend the next nine months developing districtwide plans for managing indoor air quality, thanks to their participation in a new initiative by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC).

The Center for Green Schools at the USGBC selected various facilities, environmental health and safety, business operations, and sustainability leaders within districts in 25 states for its 2026-27 School Air Quality Fellowship, according to a press release. The program runs from September through May and provides training, technical assistance, and peer support intended to help participants develop plans their districts can implement for the long term.

Anisa Heming, director of the Center for Green Schools at USGBC, said in a statement:

“School district staff are managing increasingly complex air quality challenges, often with limited time, staffing, and professional development resources. This fellowship gives them practical tools and individualized support to build indoor air quality plans their districts can sustain over time. The reach of this cohort means that stronger practices can improve learning and working conditions for millions of students and staff.”

The cohort ranges from La Honda-Pescadero Unified School District in California, which serves about 300 students, to the School District of Philadelphia, with approximately 198,000 students. Ninety-two percent of the participating leaders come from districts with Title I-eligible schools, and 11% represent Tribal-serving districts. (See sidebar for full list of participating individuals and schools.)

IAQ plans address more than air testing

The fellowship centers on creating formal indoor air quality management plans rather than responding to individual complaints or problems as they emerge by using existing resources, such as the Center for Green Schools’ School District Energy Efficient Indoor Air Quality Management Plan Toolkit, which was developed using policies, plans, and communications materials from 26 school districts. The toolkit also incorporates guidance from EPA’s IAQ Tools for Schools program and other sources and asks districts to consider how IAQ strategies interact with energy-efficiency practices.

The planning process is meant to address indoor air quality while also accounting for energy use and operating costs at school facilities. To that end, the toolkit includes sample plan language, case studies, and an editable template districts can adapt to their own buildings, procedures, and regulatory requirements.

Why it matters

Indoor air quality problems often become facilities priorities only after occupants report odors, discomfort, respiratory symptoms, or other concerns. Wildfire smoke and changing regulatory requirements are adding another layer of complexity for school districts already managing aging HVAC systems, deferred maintenance, limited staffing, and constrained budgets.

A written IAQ management plan gives them a way to move those decisions into routine facilities operations—identifying who’s responsible, establishing procedures, documenting building conditions, and coordinating air-quality measures with HVAC and energy-management strategies.

For the 53 participating systems, the fellowship will provide a test of whether a more systematic approach can be scaled across districts ranging from a few hundred students to some of the nation's largest public school systems. With the cohort collectively serving more than 2 million students, the resulting plans also could provide useful models for districts facing similar IAQ, staffing, and operational challenges in other locations across the country.

Connecting the dots between IAQ and operations is important for facilities departments because ventilation, filtration, temperature control, equipment operation, and energy consumption can’t always be managed independently—and the pressure to address these issues is growing.

Districts face more complex air quality demands

The Center for Green Schools says wildfire smoke, respiratory illnesses, and new state indoor air quality requirements have put increased  the need for districts to move toward proactive IAQ management rather than relying solely on responses to individual incidents on a case-by-case basis.

Formal planning also can help districts maintain consistent practices when staff members change, communicate with families and communities, document compliance with applicable requirements, and track improvements over time.

For facilities departments, the potential benefits extend to the building systems they’re responsible for managing. The USGBC says effective IAQ management can improve building operations and extend the useful life of heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning equipment.

Participants in the new program will receive individualized training and technical assistance from specialists in indoor air quality and energy management, as well as providing access to professional development and opportunities for districts to compare practices and resources with peers nationally.

The initiative is funded wholly or in part through an assistance agreement with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

The 2026-2027 School Air Quality Fellows 

Funding acknowledgment: This project has been funded wholly or in part by the United States Environmental Protection Agency under assistance agreement 5V84097801 to the Center for Green Schools.

This piece was created with the help of generative AI tools and edited by our content team for clarity and accuracy.
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