Tag Archives: SFP

Office of Public School Construction Stakeholder Meetings – Grant Agreements

February 15, 2023

The Office of Public School Construction (OPSC) stakeholder meeting scheduled for Wednesday, Feb. 22, 2023, at the Hyatt Regency in downtown Sacramento, has been canceled. The meeting has been rescheduled to Monday, March 6, 2023, for purposes of discussing and receiving feedback on the draft grant agreements for the School Facility Program. The NOTICE (PDF) has been posted to the OPSC website under Meeting Information and on the State Allocation Board web page. This meeting will also be webcast.

~ CASH Staff

Office of Public School Construction Stakeholder Meeting on Grant Agreements

February 10, 2023

The Office of Public School Construction (OPSC) has scheduled a stakeholder’s meeting to discuss and receive feedback on the draft grant agreements for the School Facility Program.  The notice( has been posted to the OPSC website under Meeting Information and on the State Allocation Board webpage. This meeting will also be webcast.

~ CASH Staff

SAB Senate Member Appointments & February 22 Meeting Canceled

February 3, 2023

The February 22, 2023, State Allocation Board meeting has been canceled.  The next State Allocation Board meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, March 22, 2023, at 4:00 p.m.  Location will be determined.

The following three Senate members have been appointed to the State Allocation Board:

  • Senator Benjamin Allen
  • Senator Janet Nguyen, and
  • Senator Richard Pan

These three appointments make a full complement of the State Allocation Board.

~ CASH Staff

Assembly Education Committee Schedules Hearing on School Facility Program

January 31, 2023

The Assembly Education Committee has scheduled an informational hearing on the School Facility Program.  The hearing is set for Wednesday, February 8 at 1:30 p.m. in State Capitol Room 4202.  Specifically, the topic of the hearing is: “School Facilities: Streamlining the School Siting and School Funding Processes.”

CASH is pleased to have the opportunity to engage with key policymakers, including Assembly Education Committee Chair Patrick O’Donnell, on this important issue.

~ CASH Staff

State Allocation Board Meeting Notes – January 2017

January 25, 2023

Minutes

The minutes from the December 5, 2016, meeting were approved unanimously.

Executive Officer Statement

Lisa Silverman provided updates on the following:

  • Charter Round Opening: A new Charter School Facilities Program (CSFP) round will open and applications will be accepted from February 6, 2023, through June 5, 2023. $500 million is now available with the passage of Proposition 51. Office of Public School Construction (OPSC) staff will be providing a webinar and workshops on the CSFP application process.
  • August 2016 Priority Funding Apportionments: On August 17, 2016, $78.7 million was approved for 20 projects from 14 school districts. 19 projects were required to submit Form SAB 50-05 by November 15, 2016; two projects worth $932,070.50 did not.  They were returned to the Unfunded List (Lack of AB 55 Loans) and given a new Unfunded Approval date of November 15, 2016.

Consent Agenda

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

Annual Adjustment to School Facility Program Grants
The Board adopted an increase of 4.42 percent for the 2017 School Facility Program (SFP) grants based on the RS Means Construction Cost Index (CCI).  In February 2016, the Board adopted the RS Means CCI for 2016 and future years.

Emergency Repair Program Funding
The Board apportioned $2,920,016.10 in Emergency Repair Program (ERP) funds for nine applications.  The OPSC received savings from previously funded projects.

Emergency Repair Program Grant Adjustments – Savings
The Board adopted an item to reduce grant apportionments by the savings and interest earned for 132 ERP applications. For these projects, $7,205,001.81 has been returned to the state, and an additional $2,233,670.46 will be returned to the state.

Facility Hardship / Rehabilitation Program
The Board approved one Facility Hardship Rehabilitation project for placement on the Unfunded List (Lack of AB 55 Loans).

Financial Reports

The following reflects remaining bond authority as of January 25, 2023, including Unfunded Approvals:

SFP Program Prop. 51 Prop. 1D Prop. 55 Prop. 47
New Construction $3.0 billion $3.3 million $6.1 million $0.9 million
Seismic Repair — $58.9 million — —
Overcrowding Relief — $14.0 million — —
Modernization $3.0 billion $5.5 million $0.1 million $0.1 million
Career Technical $500 million $0.9 million — —
High Performance — $0.0 — —
Charter School $500 million $28.6 million $1.7 million $0.8 million

Reports

2016 Office of State Audits and Evaluations Report and Greater Program Accountability
 OPSC Executive Officer Lisa Silverman provided information to the State Allocation Board about the recent report completed by the Office of State Audits and Evaluations (OSAE), and actions that may be taken to enhance accountability in the School Facility Program (SFP).  The passage of Proposition 51 and the accountability measures proposed in the Governor’s 2017-18 Budget prompted staff to explore possible regulation and policy changes for the SFP. Lisa Silverman presented consideration of a “grant agreement” between the Board and applicant districts on a per-project basis, which would address some of the OSAE recommendations. She indicated that, with a grant agreement in place, OPSC staff could more efficiently monitor bond funds and confirm that each district met its required project milestones. Grant agreements would also provide greater transparency and clearly define expectations and responsibilities under the program for the state and the school district receiving SFP funding. Staff plans to present a regulation change proposal along with a detailed outline or example of a proposed grant agreement, as well as other possible changes to the SFP, in the near future.

Assembly Member Patrick O’Donnell indicated that the voters have spoken in passing Proposition 51, and the Board needs to do all it can to get funding out to districts. CASH Chair Jenny Hannah addressed the Board in public comment, stating that CASH supports transparency and consistency for districts. She urged an expeditious process and offered that CASH can help provide input to align the state and local processes.

The Board accepted the report and requested that OPSC staff proceed with development of a grant agreement and companion regulation for Board action at a future meeting. SAB Chair Eraina Ortega expressed intent to bring the item back at the March Board meeting.

Overview of Informational Lists
 OPSC Deputy Executive Officer Barbara Kampmeinert provided the Board with an overview of the Unfunded List and Applications Received Beyond Bond Authority list. She indicated that project circumstances may have changed since submission, and the lists will require future Board action. The Board acknowledged the report.

2016 Annual Legislative Update
 Barbara Kampmeinert provided the Board with an update on the passage of legislation in 2016 that may impact programs administered by the Board. She indicated that no Board action is required as a result of these bills. The Board acknowledged the report.

The next State Allocation Board meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, February 22, 2023.

~ Rebekah Cearley

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State Budget 2017-18 Update: Governor Addresses Proposition 51 Implementation

State Budget 2017-18 Update: Governor Addresses Proposition 51 Implementation

The Governor’s Budget proposal contains good news for school facilities, as well as some challenges. With regard to the implementation of Proposition 51, the Governor stated his willingness to work to have Proposition 51 funds flow to school projects. The challenges will be implementing the audit provisions that Governor Brown wants before allowing Proposition 51 funds to flow. Concerning Proposition 39 energy efficiency funding, the Governor proposes $422.9 million for K-12 school districts and charter schools, which is a significant investment.

CASH has always supported accountability for spending taxpayer funds. We have a stated policy that every public funded school project should be audited. If there are changes needed, we look forward to making those changes as soon as possible. We believe the audit guide concern can be addressed immediately without legislation because the guide is developed by the State Controller, Superintendent of Public Instruction and the Director of the Department of Finance. If legislation is needed to have a long-term statutory authority, CASH believes that can be done through a budget trailer bill. We will have more updates in the coming days as more details become available. Below is a summary of the proposed State Budget relating to school facilities.

K-12 School Facilities

“The recently approved Kindergarten through Community College Public Education Facilities Bond Act of 2016 (Proposition 51) authorizes $7 billion in state general obligation bonds for K‑12 schools to be allocated through the current School Facilities Program in place as of January 1, 2015. As the State Allocation Board and the Office of Public School Construction begin to consider allocation of Proposition 51 resources, it is important to address some of the shortcomings within the existing program that were recently documented in the audit findings issued by the Office of State Audits and Evaluations in a 2016 audit of Proposition 1D School Facilities Program expenditures. In that audit, it was determined that 1,533 projects representing over $3 billion in Proposition 1D funds have been completed without ensuring the bond funds were appropriately expended. The audit found instances in which school districts inappropriately used school facilities bond funding to purchase vehicles, tractors, tablets, golf carts, mascot uniforms, and custodial/ cleaning supplies. To ensure appropriate usage of all School Facilities Program bond funds and effective program accountability and oversight, the Administration will work with the State Allocation Board and the Office of Public School Construction to revise policies and regulations to implement front‑end grant agreements that define basic terms, conditions, and accountability measures for participants that request funding through the School Facilities Program.

To complement this front‑end accountability, the Administration will introduce legislation requiring facility bond expenditures to be included in the annual K‑12 Audit Guide. Independent auditors will verify that local educational agencies participating in the School Facilities Program have appropriately expended state resources.

Once these measures are in place to verify that taxpayers’ dollars are appropriately used, the Administration will support the expenditure of Proposition 51 funds.”

~ CASH Staff

This entry was posted in Construction, Energy, Finance, General, Legal, Legislation, Maintenance & Operations, Planning & Architecture, State Agency, Uncategorized and tagged 2016 School Facilities Bond Initiative, 2016 State School Bond Initiative, Californians for Quality Schools, Coalition for Adequate School Housing, CQS, , Division of the State Architect, , Kindergarten Through Community College Public Education Facilities Bond Act of 2016, November 2016 ballot, November 2016 General Election, November 2016 State School Bond Initiative, , , Prop 51, , , Proposition 51, , , school finance, , state allocation board, State School Bond, State School Bond Initiative, statewide school bond on by .

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

December 12, 2016

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

This entry was posted in Construction, Finance, General, Legal, Legislation, Maintenance & Operations, Planning & Architecture, State Agency, Uncategorized and tagged 2016 School Facilities Bond Initiative, 2016 State School Bond Initiative, Californians for Quality Schools, Coalition for Adequate School Housing, CQS, Kindergarten Through Community College Public Education Facilities Bond Act of 2016, November 2016 ballot, November 2016 General Election, November 2016 State School Bond Initiative, , , Prop 51, Proposition 51, , , school finance, , state allocation board, State School Bond, State School Bond Initiative, statewide school bond, Yes on 51, Yes on Proposition 51 on by .

State Allocation Board Meeting Notes – December 2016

December 5, 2016

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 entry was posted in Construction, Finance, General, Legal, Legislation, Maintenance & Operations, Planning & Architecture, State Agency, Uncategorized and tagged 2016 School Facilities Bond Initiative, 2016 State School Bond Initiative, Californians for Quality Schools, Coalition for Adequate School Housing, CQS, , Kindergarten Through Community College Public Education Facilities Bond Act of 2016, November 2016 State School Bond Initiative, , , Prop 51, Proposition 51, , , school finance, , state allocation board, State School Bond, State School Bond Initiative, statewide school bond, Yes on Proposition 51 on by .

State Allocation Board Meeting Notes – August 2016

August 18, 2016

The next State Allocation Board (SAB) meeting is scheduled for Monday, October 17, 2016. For a PDF copy of the August 2016 SAB meeting notes, please click here.

CalTax Announces Support for Statewide Bond to Fund School Facilities

June 28, 2016

By Californians for Quality Schools

The California Taxpayers Association (CalTax) announced that it has endorsed the Kindergarten Through Community College Public Education Facilities Bond Act of 2016.

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This entry was posted in General and tagged 2016 School Facilities Bond Initiative, 2016 State School Bond Initiative, , Californians for Quality Schools, CalTax, , Coalition for Adequate School Housing, CQS, Kindergarten Through Community College Public Education Facilities Bond Act of 2016, November 2016 ballot, November 2016 General Election, November 2016 State School Bond Initiative, , , State School Bond, State School Bond Initiative, statewide school bond on by .