Revision: Dec. 8, 2023, 3:45 p.m.
2024 SESSION
24-2835.1
02/10
SENATE BILL [bill number]
AN ACT relative to school building aid funding.
SPONSORS: [sponsors]
COMMITTEE: [committee]
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ANALYSIS
This bill establishes a new school district building aid funding program using state funds allocated to each district and makes an appropriation therefor.
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Explanation: Matter added to current law appears in bold italics.
Matter removed from current law appears [in brackets and struckthrough.]
Matter which is either (a) all new or (b) repealed and reenacted appears in regular type.
24-2835.1
02/10
STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE
In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Twenty Four
AN ACT relative to school building aid funding.
Be it Enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court convened:
1 School Building Aid; Grant for School Construction. Amend RSA 198:15-a, I-a to read as follows:
I-a. For purposes of this subdivision, "school district" means any school district duly organized, any city maintaining a school department within its corporate organization, any cooperative school district as defined in RSA 195:1, any receiving district operating an area school as defined in RSA 195-A:1, or any receiving district providing an education to pupils from one or more sending districts under a contract entered into pursuant to RSA 194:21-a or RSA 194:22. For the purpose of receiving a distribution from allocated funds pursuant to RSA 198:15-f, school district shall include any chartered public school as defined in RSA 194-B:1, IV.
2 Grant for School Construction. Amend RSA 198:15-a, IV to read as follows:
IV. Beginning July 1, [2013] 2024, and every fiscal year thereafter, school building aid grants for construction or renovation projects approved by the department of education shall not exceed $50,000,000 per fiscal year less any debt service payments owed in the fiscal year, unless otherwise provided by an act of the general court, provided that beginning July 1, 2024, and every fiscal year thereafter, grants under this chapter shall be reduced by $5,000,000 as provided in RSA 198:15-f and credited to the school building construction allocation program. School building aid grants shall be funded from appropriations in the state operating budget and no state bonds shall be authorized or issued for the purpose of funding such school building aid grants.
3 Approval of Plans; Specifications, and Costs of Construction or Purchase. Amend RSA 198:15-c, I(b) to read as follows:
(b) Beginning January 1, 2025 and each year thereafter, to be considered for a school building aid grant, or for a distribution under RSA 198:15-f, the complete building aid application shall be submitted no later than April 1 of the fiscal year that immediately precedes the fiscal year in which the school desires to seek the district's legislative body's approval for construction. The application shall include at a minimum, schematic design plans, cost estimates, educational needs assessment, existing facility conditions assessment including, but not limited to a review of the mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and structural components of the building, proof of an annual school budget to support good maintenance, and other documentation as required by the department and identified in the department's school building construction rules.
4 New Paragraph; Approval of Plans; Specifications, and Costs of Construction or Purchase. RSA 198:15-c by inserting after paragraph III the following new paragraph:
IV. The commissioner of the department of education shall accept and approve applications for disbursement of funds to school districts or chartered public schools for school construction costs pursuant to RSA 198:15-f, based on the recommendations of the department and which shall be subject to prior approval by the school building authority in RSA 195-C.
5 New Paragraph; School Building Authority. Amend RSA 195-C:1 by inserting after paragraph IV the following new paragraph:
V. The authority shall accept and approve applications for disbursement of funds to school districts or chartered public schools for school construction costs pursuant to RSA 198:15-f, based on the recommendations of the department and which shall be subject to subsequent approval by the commissioner of the department of education pursuant to RSA 198:15-c, IV.
6 School Building Construction Allocation Program. RSA 198:15-f is repealed and reenacted to read as follows:
198:15-f School Building Construction Allocation.
I. There is hereby established a school building construction allocation program which shall be administered by the department of education pursuant to approval by the authority established under RSA 195-C. To aid local school districts in meeting the costs of school buildings, the department of education shall, from funds appropriated by the general court to carry out the provisions of this section, pay to the school districts and chartered public schools of the state, sums in accordance with the provisions of this section.
II. There is established a nonlapsing fund in the department of education to be known as the school building construction allocation program fund. There is appropriated annually the sum $25,000,000 to this fund from the education trust fund for the purposes established under this section. Beginning July 1, 2024, and every fiscal year thereafter, the amount of $5,000,000 shall be credited to this fund from the school building aid fund pursuant to RSA 198:15-a, IV until such funds are exhausted. The governor is authorized to draw a warrant for said sum out of any money in the treasury not otherwise appropriated. All moneys in the fund shall be nonlapsing and continually appropriated to the department of education.
III. New moneys deposited into this fund each fiscal year shall be allocated annually to each school district or chartered public school based on per pupil average daily membership in attendance rate, as defined in RSA 189:1-d, III, and segregated for the benefit of the school district or chartered public school until authorized for distribution under paragraph IV.
IV. All school construction plans and specifications shall comply with the requirements of RSA 198:15-c and the rules of the department in requesting a distribution from the fund for payment or reimbursement of school construction approved under this section, notwithstanding any requirements for authorization of bonds or notes or payment of debt service unless such project contains an authorization of bonds as a component of funding. Approved projects for funding shall include:
(a) New building construction;
(b) Capital renovations of existing buildings; or
(c) Security improvements.
7 New Subparagraph; Application of Receipts. Amend RSA 6:12, I(b) by inserting after subparagraph (394) the following new subparagraph:
(395) Moneys deposited in the school building construction allocation fund established under RSA 198:15-f.