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16 <br />Attachment 3 <br />Revised following 8/17/00 task force meeting and includes Superintendents' comments <br />Revised <br />9/07/00 <br />4. Construction Standards <br />Over the past few years, the County has given special attention to defining <br />construction standards for each school level -elementary, middle and high schools. <br />The standards provide a minimum and maximum square footage and student capacity <br />for each level. As a system undertakes construction of a new facility, it is critical that <br />the system adheres to the most recent school construction standards (estimated <br />project cost should include a reasonable allowance for inflation): <br />The Commissioners agree to provide funding for new school facilities that are designed <br />within the adopted standards. They do not agree to fund projects that go beyond the <br />adopted standards unless there is sufficient justification provided in writing by the <br />Board of Education. One justification for going beyond the standards centers on <br />community use of the new facility. For example, a system may design a facility with a <br />"larger than standards gymnasium" that allows for citizen/community use. In this case, <br />the system must provide detailed explanations outlining the benefits to be offered to <br />the community and citizens, in the context of the intergovernmental "Memorandum of <br />Agreement for Providing Coordinated Site and Facility Planning". <br />5. Project Approval <br />A ,project's inclusion in the ten-year plan does not give the Schools or the County Legal <br />authority to expend funds. The legal authority to expend funds lies in County <br />Commissioner approved capital project ordinances. Therefore, the schools should not <br />incur any expenses for any capital project until the Board of County Commissioners <br />approves the capital project ordinance. <br />In order to provide timely flow of the approval process and ensure that all elements are <br />addressed, the following steps should be followed: <br />Details included in each system's ten-year Capital Investment Plans regarding the <br />scope and timing of various phases of individual capital projects is limited. To that <br />end, as individual Boards of Education begin discussions related to new' capital <br />projects (~ ,~ construction, site acquisitions, major renovations, etc), they will be <br />expected, in writing, to notify the Board of County Commissioners of the substance <br />of those discussions. The memorandum from the School Board will: <br />• Provide the Commissioners with an overview of the project concept along with <br />other project specifics that the Board of Education has defined to that point; <br />• Justify the .need based on current school capacities and projected student <br />enrollments consistent with the School Adequate Public Facility Ordinance (if <br />the Ordinance is in effect at this time); <br />Page 4 of 7 <br />Pnlicv nn Planning and Fundine School Capital Projects <br />