Section 201

201.  School Construction Needs Grant Funds

201.01.  School Construction Needs Grants shall be allocated and expended on the basis of need and efficient use of resources. 

201.02.  Each county is responsible for determining in its CEFP the specific project(s) for which SBA School Construction Needs Funds will be prioritized and requested.  This individual project will be fully developed by the county working with the SBA staff, in regard to the issues indicated in West Virginia Code §18-9D-16(a)(3)(D).
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201.03.  School Construction Needs Fund grant requests will be developed, reviewed, verified, and selected based on the following requirements:

            201.031. Development of the Competitive School Construction Fund Project.

                        a. Each county shall work with the SBA staff to evaluate the needs of the county's facilities based on the conditions described in the CEFP. Discussions should focus on the project's impact on the county's preventative maintenance plan, and the impact on county's efforts to operate more efficiently.

                        b. The proposed project, whether it is a new facility or an addition/renovation, should focus on improving efficiencies within the school district and shall be developed with integral involvement of the SBA staff.

                                    (1) Should the county desire additional square footage for enhanced educational offerings above the SBA funding formula or to utilize property with abnormal site conditions, additional local funds may be needed to complete the desired increase in project scope or a request for a waiver must be submitted and approved by the State Superintendent of Schools and the SBA prior to submitting the Needs grant application.

                                    (2) If the proposed project is to be an addition, renovation, or mechanical/electrical system upgrade to an existing facility, the SBA staff shall assist in developing an understanding of the desired scope of work with the involvement of architecture / engineering design professionals. 

                        c. Once an understanding of the proposed project scope has been developed, the SBA staff may offer assistance with the completion of the required documentation to ensure an accurate representation of the proposed project is submitted for SBA funding consideration.

            201.032. Review of the competitive school construction fund projects

                        a.  The SBA staff will evaluate the school construction fund projects grant applications in accordance with the provisions outlined in West Virginia Code §18-9D-16 as well as the mission and goals of the Authority as in §18-9D-15.

            201.033. Verification of Evaluations of Existing Facilities

                        a.  An on-site evaluation report will be prepared by the SBA staff for all Needs projects grant requests throughout the state as identified by the Authority.  This report will:
                                    (1) Verify the scope of the project
                                    (2) Assess cost estimates of proposed facilities
                                    (3) Evaluate the feasibility of the project
                                    (4) Consider the option of new vs. renovation
                                    (5) Address transportation and demographic issues

                        b.  During the on-site review and prior to the County Superintendent interview with Authority members, the SBA staff may offer assistance and suggestions to aid in the thoroughness of the interview.

            201.034. The SBA staff's on-site evaluation report will be provided to the Authority as a supplement to the information provided in the Superintendent Interviews meetings.

            201.035. Administrative Interview – Before the Authority interview and ask questions of the project from the counties requesting the grants.  Superintendents and county board presidents will be asked to appear before the Authority to make presentations regarding their individual projects and to answer questions of the Authority members.

                        a. Purpose of the Interviews:
                                    (1) To provide an opportunity for the local board of education to express the importance of the project to the school system and its impact on the students who will attend the school;
                                    (2) To clarify any issue or question regarding the project;
                                    (3) To familiarize the SBA Members with individual projects and provide opportunity for questions prior to funding deliberations.

                        b. Interview Format:
                                    (1) A short presentation by the county administration emphasizing both the severity of need the project will address and the positive effects of the proposed solutions should the project be funded.
                                    (2) Questions will be asked by the Authority members concerning the project. 
                                    (3) Prior to the meeting, the SBA staff will establish time limitations of approximately fifteen minutes for each county's interview.  The Authority encourages strict adherence to these time limitations. 
                                    (4) LEA representatives may provide handouts and/or photos that will help clearly address the need of this project, its impact on the quality of education, and any efficiencies the administration may gain.

            201.036. After these steps are completed, the SBA staff will gather and compile sufficient data to create a recommended priorities list based upon the provisions set forth in West Virginia Code §18-9D-16(a)(3)(D).  This data will be given to the Authority to make decisions as to which projects will be funded through School Construction Needs Grant Funds. 

            201.037. Prior to final action on approving projects for funding, the Authority shall submit a certified list of the projects to the Joint Committee of Government and Finance.

            201.038. Using all data, information, and recommendations made available by the SBA staff, the Authority will determine the number of projects to be considered in each funding cycle and award meritorious projects to the extent funds are available.

201.1. Multi-Year Funding

            201.11.  Pursuant to the provisions listed in West Virginia Code §18-9D-15(n), at the discretion of the Authority with the advice of the SBA staff, Needs projects may be awarded using funds from multiple funding cycles.

 
201.2.  Needs Reserve Grants

            201.21.  Pursuant to the provisions listed in West Virginia Code §18-9D-15(n)(3), at the discretion of the Authority with the advice of the SBA staff, the Authority may choose to award up to $500,000 in Needs Reserve Grant funds.

                        201.211.  Needs Reserve Grants may be awarded by the Authority to allow an LEA to complete the financial planning process for the proposed project(s) prior to funding the full request.  Needs Reserve Grant Funds reflect the Authority's full approval of the project scope and unless otherwise specified by the Authority or SBA staff, do not require the LEA to return the following year to apply, interview, and compete for School Construction Needs funds.
 
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