School Facility Program – Page 2 – Coalition for Adequate School Housing

CASH Alert: Please Attend the June 5, 2017 SAB Meeting

Posted on May 26, 2017 by CASH

May 26, 2017

On Monday, June 5, 2017, the State Allocation Board (SAB) will meet at 4:00 pm in Room 437 of the State Capitol to consider recommendations on the proposed Grant Agreement, True Unfunded List, and Acknowledged List. Click here to see the CASH letter addressing these proposals.

We encourage you to attend the SAB meeting and speak to your specific concerns about the proposals and how they will affect your school district or client district.

More information will be provided during the CASH Monthly Update Meeting also scheduled for Monday, June 5, 2017, at 11:00 am in the Lower Level Conference Room A at 1130 K Street, Sacramento, CA 95814.

We additionally would like to further encourage you to communicate your concerns directly to your State Senators and Assembly Members. The district draft letter found here, may be a resource in doing so.

~ Tom Duffy

Posted in Finance, General, Legal, Legislation, Planning & Architecture, Proposition 51, State Agency, Uncategorized 2016 School Facilities Bond Initiative, 2016 State School Bond Initiative, Californians for Quality Schools, Charter School Facilities Program, Coalition for Adequate School Housing, CQS, Department of Finance, Division of the State Architect, DSA, Kindergarten Through Community College Public Education Facilities Bond Act of 2016, office of public school construction, OPSC, Proposition 51, SAB, School Facility Program, school finance, SFP, state allocation board, State School Bond, State School Bond Initiative, statewide school bond

CASH Urgent Action Alert: Letters Needed from School District Members

Posted on May 24, 2017 by CASH

May 24, 2017

Dear CASH School District Member:

We are writing to request your help in communicating with your representatives in the State Senate and the State Assembly to ask for their direct action to assist us in:

Focusing legislative pressure on the Department of Finance (DOF) to increase school bond sales for matching funds through Proposition 51 in years 2018 and in 2019; and
Communicating to the State Allocation Board (SAB) concerns as to how the Office of Public School Construction (OPSC) and DOF are proposing to treat districts projects negatively that are on the “Acknowledged List.”

Unfortunately, in the May Revision the DOF did not change the state’s plan to sell only $600 million in Proposition 51 bonds between now and June 30, 2018. That rate of bond sales will not even cover the new applications being filed, much less the current $2.4 billion waiting list.

In communicating with your legislative representatives we ask that you cite specific information about your District’s projects waiting for state bond funding, including estimated state bond funding amounts. We request that you speak to the need to increase state bond sale amounts for purposes of funding your projects and the $2.4 billion in the pipeline waiting for funding.

It is important to note here that it has been proposed by OPSC that the SAB consider sending projects on the “Acknowledged List” back to the applicant school districts, thus denying funding to those projects.

To date, there are $2 billion on the “Acknowledged List.” This is a combination of new construction and modernization projects. If your District has projects on the “Acknowledged List” we advise that you specifically identify those projects to your representative and detail the negative impact that the proposed action to deny funding to the “Acknowledged List” will have on your District.

We suggest also that you communicate your concern regarding the proposed OPSC/DOF “grant agreement” that is intended to be applied retroactively to all projects waiting for funding, notwithstanding the fact that contracts have been signed or that projects have been completed and occupied.

The Legislature needs to hear directly from you about the specific harm that the proposed OPSC and DOF actions will have on your district.

Again those proposed actions are:

Limit bond sales;
Reject projects waiting for funding on the “Acknowledged List;” and
Require that a grant agreement is signed for each project retroactively.

Please review the draft letter that you may use to write your own request that the state sells more bonds faster.

Please send your letter to your State Assembly Member and State Senator.

Thank you in advance for your assistance on this matter of importance.

~ Tom Duffy

Posted in Construction, Finance, General, Legal, Legislation, Maintenance & Operations, Planning & Architecture, Proposition 51, State Agency, Uncategorized 2016 School Facilities Bond Initiative, 2016 State School Bond Initiative, Californians for Quality Schools, Charter School Facilities Program, Coalition for Adequate School Housing, CQS, Department of Finance, Division of the State Architect, DSA, Kindergarten Through Community College Public Education Facilities Bond Act of 2016, office of public school construction, OPSC, Proposition 51, SAB, School Facility Program, school finance, SFP, state allocation board, State School Bond, State School Bond Initiative, statewide school bond

May CASH Day & SAB Meeting Rescheduled to June 5

Posted on May 15, 2017 by CASH

May 15, 2017

The May 24 State Allocation Board meeting has been canceled. The next State Allocation Board meeting is scheduled for Monday, June 5 at 4:00 pm at the State Capitol, Room 437.

The CASH Monthly Update and Annual Conference Planning Committee meetings will also be rescheduled for Monday, June 5.

~ CASH Staff

Posted in General, Proposition 51, State Agency, Uncategorized Coalition for Adequate School Housing, Department of Finance, office of public school construction, OPSC, SAB, School Facility Program, SFP, state allocation board

OPSC Holds Second Stakeholder Meeting on the Front-End Grant Agreement

Posted on May 8, 2017 by CASH

May 8, 2017

Today, the Office of Public School Construction (OPSC) hosted a stakeholder input session to receive additional feedback on the proposed front-end grant agreement for School Facility Program projects. The grant agreement was initially presented to the State Allocation Board (SAB) for discussion on April 24, 2017. At that time, the SAB did not have enough votes to pass the grant agreement as drafted, and they deferred action until the May SAB meeting.

OPSC staff began today’s stakeholder meeting by stating that concerns related to the audit trailer bill language should be brought to Department of Finance. OPSC staff then outlined items that they have identified for possible amendment prior to the next SAB meeting. Topics included, but were not limited to:

Which documents applicants are required to attach
Inclusion of a “site description”
Whether the definitions section should be limited to items that are unique to the grant agreement
Timing of when grant agreements should be executed
Laws and regulations with which applicants must comply
Impacts to the Priority Funding process
Expenditure report due dates and substantial progress
Hold harmless/indemnity provision
Eligible and ineligible expenditures

The issue of outlining a list of eligible and ineligible expenditures generated the most stakeholder feedback and discussion. Numerous stakeholders were concerned that expenditures on items not explicitly listed on the eligible expenditures list would not be accepted by local auditors. There were concerns that the proposed agreement would reduce the flexibility that districts have under the current grant program structure. There were also concerns voiced on behalf of Financial Hardship districts and county offices of education, which would have difficulty identifying local dollars to fund “ineligible” items such as computers.

OPSC’s goal is to bring an amended agreement to the next SAB meeting on May 24, 2017. They anticipate that the updated draft grant agreement will be available approximately one week prior to the hearing date and that the SAB agenda item will identify stakeholder feedback similar to the April agenda. OPSC anticipates that a larger regulations package will need to be brought to the SAB after the Legislature approves, and the Governor signs, the audit trailer bill language.

If you have feedback that you would like to provide, OPSC is still accepting comments on the grant agreement and requested that comments be submitted within the next few days. The current version of the grant agreement under discussion may be found here.

~ Rebekah Cearley

Posted in Legislation, State Agency, Uncategorized Charter School Facilities Program, Coalition for Adequate School Housing, Department of Finance, office of public school construction, OPSC, SAB, School Facility Program, school finance, SFP, state allocation board

May Facility Planners Update

Posted on May 1, 2017 by CASH

May 1, 2017

The CASH Facility Planners Meeting Update for May 2017 is now available and includes information regarding:

State Allocation Board Defers Action on School Facility Program Upfront Grant Agreement
Legislative Update
CASH Welcomes New Members
Upcoming Networking Mixers

Click here to download the Update.

~ CASH Staff

Posted in General, Uncategorized 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, office of public school construction, OPSC, Prop 51, Proposition 51, SAB, School Facility Program, school finance, SFP, state allocation board