Section 202

202.  Major Improvement Project (MIP) Grant Funds

202.01.  Major Improvement Project (MIP) Grant Funds shall be allocated and expended on the basis of need and efficient use of resources to county boards of education, the State Board of Education for certain statewide educational facilities, and/or administrative councils of area career technical education centers for facility renovations, maintenance, and construction projects. In so doing, both short and long-term effects of building repairs and maintenance will be considered. 

202.02.  Grant award amounts must be greater than fifty thousand dollars but may not exceed $1,000,000 or West Virginia code limitations.  

202.03.  Projects selected for funding by the SBA must be included in an approved Major Improvement Plan as a part of the LEA’s current CEFP.

    202.031.  The Plan shall include a prioritized list of all the major improvement projects within the county.  Such prioritized list shall be one of the criteria to be considered by the authority in determining how available funds shall be expended.  In prioritizing the projects, the LEA submitting a plan shall make determinations in accordance with objective criteria provided in its MIP.  The MIP shall include a repair and replacement schedule for all school facilities and the manner and timeline for all activities within the plan.

    202.032.  All MIP facility needs must be identified in the LEA’s current Comprehensive Educational Facilities Plan.  Expenditures for all facility improvements other than normal routine maintenance shall be documented and included in the ongoing update provided to the SBA.  Routine maintenance remains the responsibility of local educational agencies and these costs will be reported through the annual financial reporting process provided to the State Department of Education.

    202.033.  The Major Improvement Plan within the CEFP shall address the renovation, repair, and safety upgrading of existing facilities, and equipment, building systems, utilities, and other similar items in connection with renovations, repair, and upgrading of facilities. 

202.04.  Major Improvement Projects may not include such items as books, computers, equipment used for instructional purposes, fuel, supplies, routine utility service fees, routine maintenance costs, ordinary course of business improvements, and other items which are customarily deemed to result in current or ordinary course of business operating expenses.

202.05.  Funding will not be distributed to any county board that is not prepared to commence expenditures of such funds during the fiscal year in which monies are distributed. Grant funds allocated to a county board shall be available for a period of two years.  Without an approved grant extension request, any funds which are unexpended after a two-year period shall be redistributed by the SBA in the next funding cycle.

202.06.  Major Improvement Plans within the CEFP should address the following key elements:

    202.061.  Sets Goals and Objectives based on the following criteria:
        a.  Improves health and safety to meet all codes and quality standards
        b.  Improves the facility(s)’ ability to deliver the instruction program
        c.  Increases the life expectancy of building components by establishing or improving a plan for reactive and preventative maintenance
        d.  Assures the prudent and resourceful expenditure of local and state funds
        e.  Establishes staff training programs for effective maintenance and custodial methods

    202.062.  Reviews Historical Data Regarding Previous Building Improvement Activities

        a. A survey of the previous five-year building improvement activities must be performed to provide a historical baseline of expenditures and improvements.  Previous maintenance budgets and records of building improvements can be used to identify where funding has been concentrated, where the greatest needs may exist, and the scope of future countywide improvements.

        b. County maintenance expenditures should be comparable to the average regional and national square footage costs and reflect sufficient funding to adequately support the number of facilities being maintained.  When insufficient funding is discovered, a plan of action should be implemented to address the shortfall.  Areas of consideration should be:
        1.  An increase in local building improvement funding
        2.  More efficient use of funds
        3.  Increased performance of the in-house staff (i.e., staff development)
        4.  Additional staff or assistance through contracted maintenance
        5.  A more efficient use of facilities
        6.  Life cycle cost analysis to help identify the most cost-effective means to improve maintenance activities

    202.063.  Includes a Maintenance Plan that addresses specific needs of each facility by identifying building maintenance and improvement strategies that will improve the health and safety of the facility’s users and extend the building’s useful life.  Major components of the Maintenance Plan are:

        a. A List of Deficiencies and Priorities which shall include a list of site-specific building deficiencies prioritized by need as reflected in the goals and objectives of the major improvement plan.  Such priority list shall be one of the criteria to be considered by the Authority in determining how available funds shall be expended.

        b. Methods for Performing Maintenance that identify the most cost-effective manner of performing the vital maintenance program.  Special emphasis must be given to staff development for in-house maintenance staff and the development of experience and qualification requirements for contracted maintenance services.

        c. Maintenance Plan Cost Summary that includes the annual and long-range cost of implementing the maintenance plan as well as the anticipated expenditures should the program not be implemented must be included in the plan. 

        d. Timeline for Implementing the Plan – The full implementation of the maintenance plan will occur over the ten-year period covered by the initial plan.  However, milestone dates must be established that coincide with the prioritized list of maintenance to be performed.  Specific objectives must be indicated in the plan and progress toward the completion of projects reported submitted to the SBA.  Also, included in the timeline for the replacement of facilities should be directly related to the costs required for its maintenance and its ability to facilitate the delivery of the desired educational program.

    202.064.  Includes a plan for financing the Major Improvement Plan which identifies the funding source for each project regardless of the immediate availability of the proposed funding.  Additionally, the following criteria should be considered when preparing the financial strategy to implement the plan:
    a. Major Improvement Plan funding should not be used for projects in schools/facilities targeted to close within the CEFP.
    b. Student-occupied facilities shall be given first priority for improvements.
    c. Agencies may use monies provided by the Authority in conjunction with local funds derived from bonding, special levy, or other sources.  Distribution to a county board or to the state board or the administrative council of an area career technical educational center will be in accordance with a payment method approved by the Authority.

    202.07.  Major Improvement Project (MIP) Submission, Review, and Selection Procedures

        202.071.  Projects shall be developed and submitted according to the established criteria in W.Va. Code §18-9D-16 using the MIP Executive Summary Submission Form.  All data provided must reflect an accurate representation of the proposed project. Supportive data for projects submitted for funding consideration are required to show how the project meets the requirements of the LEA’s Major Improvement Plan and sufficient data must be included to address how the current facilities do not meet and how the proposed project does meet the goals as established in §18-9D-16(a)(3)(D).

        202.072.  All submitted MIP Projects will be reviewed and evaluated by the SBA staff using the evaluation criteria as outlined in §18-9D-16(a)(3)(D).  On-site visits will be performed as necessary to familiarize the staff with all aspects of the project and to verify the submitted data.  Interviews by the SBA staff will be held with the superintendents or project representatives for statewide or area career technical projects when additional information regarding the specifics of the proposal is needed.  After the staff review process is complete, the project data will be provided to the Authority for final consideration.  The staff review will include a recommended priorities list of statewide projects for SBA consideration. 

    202.073.  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.