HB 563

Abstract

School division maintenance reserve tool; School Construction Fund and Program established. Requires the Department of Education, in consultation with the Department of General Services, to develop or adopt and maintain a data collection tool to assist each school board to determine the relative age of each public school building in the local school division and the amount of maintenance reserve funds that are necessary to restore each such building. The bill requires each school board to provide to the Department of Education in a timely fashion the local data that is necessary to ensure that such tool remains relevant and useful for the determination of maintenance reserve needs. The bill requires the Department of Education to consider converting or using as a template the Department of General Services' Real Estate and Assets Management system for tracking buildings and infrastructure maintenance status to meet the requirement to maintain such tool. The bill also establishes the School Construction Fund and Program for the purpose of awarding grants to local school boards to fund the construction of new public school buildings or the renovation or expansion of existing public school buildings in the local school division. The bill requires any revenues remaining in the Gaming Proceeds Fund after certain enumerated appropriations are made to be appropriated to the School Construction Fund.

School Construction Matching Grant Fund andProgram; established; funding sources. Establishes the SchoolConstruction Matching Grant Fund and Program for the purpose of awardingmatching grants on a competitive basis to local school boards thatdemonstrate poor school building conditions, commitment, and need,based on certain enumerated factors, in order for such local schoolboards to fund the construction of new public school buildings in the local school division. The bill permits the Board of Educationto transfer sums from the Literary Fund to the School ConstructionMatching Grant Fund and for the Department of Education to use suchsums to provide matching grants pursuant to the Program.