NA Policy on Planning and Funding School Capital Projects

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16 Attachment 3 Revised following 8117100 task force meeting and includes Superintendents'comments Revised 9/07/00 4. Construction Standards Over the past few years, the County has given special attention to defining construction standards for each school level — elementary, middle and high schools. The standards provide a minimum and maximum square footage and student capacity for each level. As a system undertakes construction of a new facility, it is critical that the system adheres to the most recent school construction standards (estimated project cost should include a reasonable allowance for inflation). The Commissioners agree to provide funding for new school facilities that are designed within the adopted standards. They do not agree to fund projects that go beyond the adopted standards unless there is sufficient justification provided in writing by the Board of Education. One justification for going beyond the standards centers on community use of the new facility. For example, a system may design a facility with a "larger than standards gymnasium" that allows for citizen/community use. In this case, the system must provide detailed explanations outlining the benefits to be offered to the community and citizens, in the context of the intergovernmental "Memorandum of Agreement for Providing Coordinated Site and Facility Planning". 5. Project Approval A project's inclusion in the ten-year plan does not give the Schools or the County legal authority to expend funds. The legal authority to expend funds lies in County Commissioner approved capital project ordinances. Therefore, the schools should not incur any expenses for any capital project until the Board of County Commissioners approves the capital project ordinance. In order to provide timely flow of the approval process and ensure that all elements are addressed, the following steps should be followed: • Details included in each system's ten-year Capital Investment Plans regarding the scope and timing of various phases of individual capital projects is limited. To that end, as individual Boards of Education begin discussions related to new capital projects ( construction, site acquisitions, major renovations, etc), they will be expected, in writing, to notify the Board of County Commissioners of the substance of those discussions. The memorandum from the School Board will: • Provide the Commissioners with an overview of the project concept along with other project specifics that the Board of Education has defined to that point; • Justify the need based on current school capacities and projected student enrollments consistent with the School Adequate Public Facility Ordinance (if the Ordinance is in effect at this time); Page 4 of 7 Policy on Planning and Funding School Capital Projects