April 3, 2007 |
2007-R-0310 | |
EDUCATION COMMITTEE BILLS REPORTED FAVORABLY TO THE FINANCE, REVENUE AND BONDING COMMITTEE | ||
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By: Judith Lohman, Chief Analyst | ||
You asked for a summary of bills the Education Committee reported favorably to the Finance Committee.
sSB 1406, AN ACT CONCERNING AUTHORIZATION OF STATE GRANT COMMITMENTS FOR SCHOOL BUILDING PROJECTS AND CONCERNING CHANGES TO THE STATUTES CONCERNING SCHOOL BUILDING PROJECTS
§ 1 – School Construction Projects
The bill authorizes $ 332. 1 million in state grant commitments for 31 school construction projects of various types as shown in Table 1.
Table 1: New School Projects Authorized
Number of Projects |
Project Type |
Estimated Total Cost |
Estimated Total State Grants |
3 |
New schools |
$ 107,755,268 |
$ 79,242,263 |
17 |
Combined extensions and alterations |
313,853,115 |
222,536,746 |
6 |
Alterations |
38,858,410 |
19,141,087 |
5 |
Energy conservation |
2,514,600 |
1,226,938 |
31 |
$ 462,981,393 |
$ 322,147,034 |
It also reauthorizes 17 previously authorized projects for the first time and 14 for the second time. These projects have changed substantially in cost or scope (more than 10%). The reauthorizations increase state grant commitments by $ 55. 9 million.
EFFECTIVE DATE: Upon passage
§ 2 – Renovation Projects
To be eligible for a state grant, school renovation projects must (1) result in the renovated building having a useful life comparable to that of a new building and (2) be cheaper than building a new school. The bill also requires that (1) the same school not have been renovated with a school construction grant for at least 20 years before the current grant application date and (2) at least 75% of the building to be renovated be at least 30 years old.
EFFECTIVE DATE: July 1, 2007
§§ 3 & 4 – Eligible Expenses
Litigation Expenses. The bill allows school districts to be reimbursed for their project-related litigation expenses for attorneys' fees and court costs only if they win the lawsuit. The restriction applies to projects authorized on or after July 1, 2007.
Site Expenses. The bill limits state school construction reimbursements for site remediation and improvements to 25% of the site's appraised value with improvements. The limit does not apply if the site's purchase price is reduced so the price plus remediation cost does not exceed 125% of the appraised value of the site and the improvements. The new limit applies to projects authorized and sites for school use selected on or after July 1, 2007.
EFFECTIVE DATE: July 1, 2007
§§ 5 & 6 – Vocational-Technical School Projects
The bill exempts vo-tech projects from a 2006 law that limits the number of legislative reauthorizations for any school construction project to two. Projects are subject to legislative reauthorization when they have changed substantially (more than 10%) in cost or scope.
The bill also allows the education commissioner, on or after July 1, 2007, to approve the same types of emergency and code violation projects for vo-tech schools as he can for other schools without submitting them for legislative authorization.
EFFECTIVE DATE: July 1, 2007
§ 8 – Charter School Buildings Receiving State School Construction Grants
The bill requires a charter school that receives more than $ 250,000 in state school facility grants and converts the building to a nonschool use within 10 years after receiving a grant to repay the unamortized grant balance. A school can ask the state to forgive the repayment if it directs the building to another public use. The same grant repayment requirements already apply to other schools receiving state school construction grants.
EFFECTIVE DATE: July 1, 2007
Project Waivers and Exemptions
The bill waives specified statutory requirements for school construction projects in various school districts as shown below.
§ |
District |
School |
Project |
Requirements Waived |
7 |
Region 14 |
Nonnewaug High School |
Agri-science equipment project costing approximately $ 182,000 |
• Grant application deadline • Local funding authorization deadline |
9 |
Not specified |
New school projected to cost at least $ 50 million that began before 1/1/06 and not projected to be complete until after 1/1/08 |
100% of incremental costs for a fuel cell and related interconnections |
• Ineligible costs • Reimbursement rate • Timing of bid and SDE plan approval |
10 (a),(b) |
West Hartford |
Charter Oak Academy |
95% of cost for air conditioning and technology improvements |
• Grant application deadline • Local funding authorization deadline • Ineligible costs • Reimbursement rate |
11(a) |
West Hartford |
Conard High School |
Extension and alteration |
• 8-year enrollment projection |
§ |
District |
School |
Project |
Requirements Waived |
11(b) |
West Hartford |
Conard High School |
Cafeteria renovation |
• Grant application deadline • Local funding authorization deadline |
11(c) |
West Hartford |
Conard High School |
50% of the cost for stadium lights |
• Grant application deadline • Local funding authorization deadline • Ineligible costs • Reimbursement rate |
12 |
West Hartford |
Smith School |
95% of the cost of technology improvements |
• Grant application deadline • Local funding authorization deadline • Ineligible costs • Reimbursement rate |
13 |
Killingly |
Killingly High School |
New school and new regional vo-ag center |
• Deadline to begin construction |
14 |
West Hartford |
Hall High School |
50% of the cost for stadium lights |
• Grant application deadline • Local funding authorization deadline • Ineligible costs • Reimbursement rate |
15 |
West Hartford |
Webster Hill School |
Preschool with family resource center component |
• Grant application deadline • Local funding authorization deadline • Ineligible costs |
EFFECTIVE DATE: Upon passage
sHB 7290, AN ACT CONCERNING PUBLIC LIBRARIES
The bill makes various changes to update the laws governing the State Library, the State Library Board, the state librarian, and local public libraries. Section 11 doubles the maximum grant for a public library construction project from $ 500,000 to $ 1 million.
EFFECTIVE DATE: July 1, 2007
sHB 7346, AN ACT CONCERNING THE GROSS EARNINGS TAX ON DIESEL FUEL FOR SCHOOL BUSES
The bill exempts diesel fuel used exclusively by school buses from the petroleum products gross earnings tax.
EFFECTIVE DATE: Upon passage, and applicable to tax years starting on or after January 1, 2007.
sHB 7352, AN ACT CONCERNING A PILOT PROGRAM FOR AN INTERDISTRICT MAGNET SCHOOL DISTRICT AND THE INTERDISTRICT MAGNET SCHOOL PER-PUPIL GRANT
Section 1 of the bill establishes a five-year pilot program for a priority school district with (1) a population of between 20,000 and 30,000; (2) less than six square miles in area, and (3) at least 50% of its property tax-exempt to apply to the education commissioner to become an interdistrict magnet school district. These criteria apply only to New London. It allows the commissioner to designate all the city's schools as interdistrict magnet schools and makes them eligible for the 95% school construction reimbursement rate for such schools. The schools will not be eligible for state magnet school operating grants unless they meet interdistrict magnet school enrollment requirements. The education commissioner must report to the General Assembly on the program by January 1, 2010.
Section 2 increases state magnet school operating grants over four years and revamps the formula for calculating operating grants for different types of schools based on interdistrict enrollment thresholds.
EFFECTIVE DATE: July 1, 2007
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