Funding Options Report October 2016
Section Six
F i n a n c i a l P l a n n i n g
Livingston Union School District | Facilities Master Plan
Funding Options Report October 2016
School Facility Program- Other Opportunities
SEISMIC MITIGATION PROGRAM( SMP) FUNDING
Seismic Mitigation Program funding is available for facilities that are considered a qualifying Category 2 Building Type as defined in School Facility Program Regulation 1859.2 and designed for occupancy by students and staff. A structural engineer’ s report or geologic report identifying the building deficiencies and reasoning for concluding that the building has a potential for catastrophic collapse in a seismic event, including, but not limited to, ground shaking, liquefaction, landslide or other identified risks must be submitted. The district must obtain DSA or California Geological Survey concurrence.
SMP funding is available through the Facility Hardship program and buildings may be considered for either rehabilitation or replacement depending on the costs associated with the project. Projects may be submitted for conceptual approval and then for funding. These projects are reviewed separately by the OPSC and appear on the SAB agenda as special items.
As of August 17, 2016 there is $ 72.2 million in funding available for this program.
FACILITY HARDSHIP
This program is designed to provide funding to repair or replace facilities that have either an imminent health or safety threat, or for facilities that have been lost due to a natural disaster such as a flood, fire, or earthquake. This program requires extensive government agency-supported documentation and special approval from the SAB. The OPSC is currently accepting applications for facility hardship projects and processes them as bond authority becomes available.
CHARTER SCHOOL FACILITY PROGRAM( CSFP)
This program allows charter schools with preliminary apportionments to renovate existing facilities or to construct new facilities. To qualify for funding, a charter must be deemed financially sound by the California School Finance Authority. Charter schools can access this funding directly or through the school district in which the site will be located, and they have four years to convert a preliminary apportionment to a final apportionment. The school district in which the charter school is physically located is not required to have SFP New Construction eligibility; however, New Construction eligibility will be adjusted by the number of district unhoused pupils the CSFP project will serve( as determined by the district).
At this time the OPSC is not accepting preliminary apportionment applications. However, if additional funds become available due to project rescissions, additional application rounds may be opened.
As of August 17, 2016, there is $ 32.6 million in funding available for this program. Additionally, Proposition 51 identifies $ 500 million in Charter program funding.
NEW CONSTRUCTION ADDITIONAL GRANT FOR DISTRICT-OWNED SITE ACQUISITION COST( AB 401)
This program allows a district to apply for additional New Construction funding if the district is vacating non-school space that has been productively used for at least the past five years, such as administration space, and is placing students into the vacated facility or onto the vacated land.
NEW CONSTRUCTION ADDITIONAL GRANT FOR REPLACED FACILITIES( AB 801)
This program provides additional funding for the replacement cost of singlestory buildings that are demolished and replaced with multi-story buildings. In order to qualify for this funding, the project must increase capacity at the site by at least 20 % or 200 pupils, whichever is greater, among other criteria.
Other Funding Programs
PROPOSITION 39: CALIFORNIA CLEAN ENERGY JOBS ACT
The California Clean Energy Jobs Act was created with the approval of Proposition 39 in the November 6, 2012, Statewide General Election. The statute made changes to the corporate income tax code and allocated the projected revenue to the Clean Energy Job Creation Fund( Job Creation Fund). The funding from the Job Creation Fund is used to fund energy efficiency and energy generation projects at Local Education Agencies( LEAs) and Community Colleges. Beginning with the 2013 / 14 fiscal year and for the following four fiscal years, the funding will be available to be appropriated by the Legislature for eligible projects in accordance with program guidelines. The California Energy Commission( CEC) adopted the current implementation guidelines on July 13, 2016.
The funding amount for each school district is calculated annually by the CDE and is based on the district’ s Average Daily Attendance. The CEC is currently accepting project applications. Districts will need to justify the use of funds on qualifying projects through the development of an Energy Expenditure Plan.
The Livingston Union School District’ s 2013 / 14, 2014 / 15 and 2015 / 16 entitlements total $ 352,944.
SAFE ROUTES TO SCHOOLS / ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION PROGRAM( ATP)
On September 26, 2013, the Governor signed legislation creating the Active Transportation Program. The previous Safe Routes to School program was incorporated into this larger program. The California Transportation Commission( CTC) adopted the 2016 guidelines for ATP on March 16, 2016. The program’ s third call for projects was opened on April 15, 2016 and closed on June 15, 2016. The ATP’ s history suggests the CTC approval of 2017 guidelines and fourth call for projects will take place in early spring 2017.
Under the new ATP, school districts may apply for funds directly. The ATP is a reimbursement program; a project that is already fully funded will not be considered for ATP funding. Allocation of funds must be requested in the fiscal year of project programming. Projects requesting up to $ 1 million and that do not benefit a disadvantaged community shall include at least 10 % in matching funds. All projects requesting $ 5 million or more shall include at least 20 % in matching funds.
Eligible projects will be selected through a competitive process and must meet one or more of the program goals: development of new bikeways and walkways that improve mobility, access, or safety for non-motorized users, improvements to existing bikeways and walkways, which improve mobility, access, or safety for non-motorized users, elimination of hazardous conditions on existing bikeways and walkways, preventative maintenance of bikeways and walkways with the primary goal of extending the service life of the facility, installation of traffic control devices to improve the safety of pedestrians and bicyclists, and projects that improve the safety of children walking and bicycling to school, in accordance with Section 1404 of Public Law 109-59. Safe Routes to Schools infrastructure projects must be located within two miles of a public school or public school bus stop.
This program has $ 240 million in available funding.
QUALIFIED ZONE ACADEMY BONDS( QZAB)
The QZAB Program provides interest-free school renovation bonds for sites that house educational programs that strive to improve and promote graduation rates and job skills in partnership with interested private entities. This program was allocated $ 49,866,000 in 2016; left over funds from the 2015 allocation will expire at the end of this year and any funds remaining from the 2016 allocation will expire at the end of 2017. This program provides the bondholder with a
82