Over the weekend, the East Bay Times published an article about the implementation of Proposition 51. Read the full article below.

Now that Proposition 51 Passed, When Will the School Construction Dollars Start to Flow?

~ CASH Staff

CASH signed on to a coalition letter regarding DPR regulations with the Association of California School Administrators, California School Boards Association, and the Small School Districts’ Association.

Click here to review the letter.

~ CASH Staff

The Office of Public School Construction (OPSC) is pleased to announce that Assembly Member Patrick O’Donnell has been appointed to the State Allocation Board.  OPSC welcomes the Assembly Member to the State Allocation Board and looks forward to working with him on school facilities issues.

~ CASH Staff

The State Allocation Board (SAB) met today and approved the consent only agenda. The consent agenda included Facility Hardship projects and close out items.

There was no discussion of the passage of Proposition 51. We expect some discussion of Proposition 51 implementation at the January SAB meeting.

CASH will be discussing implementation issues at the Proposition 51 Post-Election Debriefing workshop which will be held at the Sheraton Grand Sacramento on December 12, 2016.

To register for the workshop, please use the following link: https://www.cashnet.org/meetings/2016_Workshops/SpecialDecember2016Workshop.htm.

~ CASH Staff

This past Tuesday, November 8, voters and local communities continued to demonstrate their support for school facilities.

Please click here for CASH’s preliminary list of local school bonds and parcel tax measures on the November 8 ballot.

~ CASH Staff

The Legislature completed the 2015-16 Legislative Session on August 31 and adjourned for final recess at that time. The Governor had until September 30 to sign or veto bills passed in the last weeks of the Session. The legislature returns briefly on December 5 to convene the new 2017-18 Legislative Session, then will immediately adjourn for recess until January, at which time they will begin to introduce new bill proposals for consideration.

The CASH legislative advocacy team had a successful year, highlighted by CASH’s engagement in and support of two significant bills.  AB 2316 (O’Donnell) creates a competitive selection process for Lease-Leaseback based on the best value methodology. SB 693 (Hueso) addresses implementation challenges for various skilled workforce bills, including AB 566 (2015). The CASH legislative team monitored and took positions on many bills, including some involving school siting, seismic safety, local debt policy, storm water, energy and other critical issues for the school facilities community.

~ CASH Staff

On Friday, October 28, the Third Court of Appeals denied California Building Industry Association’s (CBIA) appeal against the State Allocation Board’s action on May 25, 2016.

On Tuesday, November 1, 2016, the State Allocation Board issued a letter pertaining to its action on May 25, 2016 determining that state funds are no longer available for school facility construction.  This determination is required in order for school districts to charge Level III developer fees.  Per the requirements of Government Code Section 65995.7(a), the letter was sent to the Secretary of the Senate and the Chief Clerk of the Assembly, and it indicates that funds are no longer available effective May 25, 2016.

For more information, see the Board’s letters and the May 25 agenda item here:

https://www.documents.dgs.ca.gov/opsc/SAB_Agenda_Items/2016-05/Senate_Assembly_Notification_Letters.pdf

~ CASH Staff

Thank you for your continued support of Prop 51 and safe schools for our students. With your help, the Proposition 51 campaign has gained broad and diverse support throughout the state of California.

In addition to our TV spots featuring a teacher and a school nurse, our “Sí a la Prop 51” video with former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa has been running on Univision.com to engage our Spanish speaking audience.

You can watch and share Mayor Villaraigosa’s Spanish-language video on YouTube here: https://youtu.be/DX0pis6T360

From now until Election Day the videos will be running on Univision.com. Take a look at today’s ads on the Los Angeles homepage!

http://www.univision.com/los-angeles/kmex

Let’s continue to urge our contacts to vote Yes on 51 to repair and upgrade older schools, keeping the promise of a quality education in California. Please continue to show your support by sharing a link to Mayor Villaraigosa’s video and using our hashtag, #YesOn51.

“In November, California taxpayers will have a number of initiatives to consider, including one – Proposition 51 – that will make an important investment in California’s aging school facilities.

California’s schools are showing their age. Approximately 30 percent are more than 50 years old, and many need major renovations to meet basic health and safety standards. Also, many counties are growing, and need new schools that are well-equipped to prepare students to enter the workforce or the higher education system.

Proposition 51, a state school facilities bond, will help school districts fix and repair outdated schools and build new schools where needed. The measure will replenish the School Facility Program Fund so that districts can access matching state funds and protect local taxpayers from higher taxes…

If Proposition 51 isn’t approved, how will school districts meet their needs? Through local tax increases on property owners – taxes that hurt communities, harm small businesses and increase housing costs for working families, renters, and homeowners…

Proposition 51 is a far better solution. It continues the existing partnership between the state and local communities to invest in school infrastructure, which ultimately will protect taxpayers, create jobs and ensure that all children have access to schools that can meet their educational needs.

The California Taxpayers Association has joined more than 400 diverse and respected organizations and elected officials throughout the state to support Proposition 51. Supporters include the California Chamber of Commerce, the California State PTA, California State Firefighters, the California Democratic Party, the California Republican Party and much more.

CalTax urges you to vote “yes” on Proposition 51, to invest in California schools the smart way.”

Read the full article here at The OC Register website.

Teresa Casazza is president and chief executive officer of the California Taxpayers Association, a nonprofit, nonpartisan association that has been advocating for taxpayers since 1926.

To learn more about this vital measure, please visit YesOn51.com.

Minutes
The minutes from the August 17, 2016 meeting were approved unanimously.

Executive Officer Statement
Lisa Silverman provided updates on the following:

• August Priority Funding Apportionments: On August 17, 2016, $78.7 million was approved for 20 projects from 14 school districts. 19 projects must submit Form SAB 50-05 by November 15, 2016.
• Seismic Mitigation Projects: There are two items on the consent agenda to provide unfunded approvals: Buena Park Elementary School District ($541,571 for rehabilitation) and Hemet Unified School District ($6,012,331 for replacement).
• Upcoming Priority Funding Filing Round: Will begin on November 9, 2016 and close on December 8, 2016. Requests will be valid from January 1, 2017 through June 30, 2017. There are currently six projects for six school districts on the Unfunded List (Lack of AB 55 Loans) totaling $12.3 million that could submit a request for participation this filing round.

Consent Agenda
The consent agenda was approved unanimously. Items included, but were not limited to the following:

Facility Hardship Program Proposed Regulations for Funding Historical Buildings
The Board approved a technical change to the regulatory amendments approved by the Board on August 17, 2016 for funding historical school buildings under the Facility Hardship program.

Facility Hardship / Rehabilitation Program
The Board approved five Facility Hardship projects for placement on the Unfunded List (Lack of AB 55 Loans), including two Seismic Mitigation Program projects and three rehabilitation projects.

Financial Reports
The following reflects remaining bond authority for Unfunded Approvals made at the October 17, 2016 meeting:

Appeal Items
Richgrove Elementary / Tulare
To present the District’s request for an extension to the 21-month deadline to complete an Emergency Repair Program project. The District faced legal issues with its contractor, causing project delays.
Motion: To grant the District’s appeal: APPROVED UNANIMOUSLY

Klamath-Trinity Jt. Unified / Humboldt
To present two District Facility Hardship applications for State Allocation Board action related to funding. The District has facilities that have been closed to repair dry rot and mold damage. In April 2016, the Board approved five similar Financial Hardship projects related to these same issues, providing the District with replacement funding for rehabilitation work. Staff recommended the following actions:

• Provide replacement funding at replacement amounts and allow rehabilitation work for projects at two sites: $5,228,894 for Jack Norton Elementary School, and $5,243,238 for Orleans Elementary School.
• Provide apportionments for the above projects.
• Make a finding that if the District’s three remaining applications qualify for funding, and bond authority is available, staff shall present requests for replacement funding for rehabilitation work and apportionments outside the Priority Funding process.

Motion: To accept the staff recommendations: APPROVED UNANIMOUSLY

San Juan Unified / Sacramento
To present the District’s request for Seismic Mitigation Program replacement funding in order to rehabilitate an existing facility.

Motion: To accept staff recommendation to provide replacement funding at the replacement amount and allow for rehabilitation: APPROVED UNANIMOUSLY

The meeting adjourned at 2:45 p.m. The next State Allocation Board meeting is scheduled for Monday, December 5, 2016.

~ Rebekah Cearley