State Allocation Board Announces $520 Million for Shovel-Ready School Construction Projects
The State Allocation Board announced today that it has awarded approximately $520 million for shovel-ready school construction projects across the state. The state matching funds will help finance 230 school construction projects within 92 school districts. Funds for these projects are provided by bonds authorized under Propositions 1A, 1D, 47 and 55.
To view the State Allocation Board’s Press Release, click here.
--Posted 5-23-13
Governor Brown Boosts Investment in Schools, Continues Call for Fiscal Restraint in Revised State Budget
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Tuesday, May 14, 2013
Contact: Governor’s Press Office, (916) 445-4571
SACRAMENTO – Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. released a revised and balanced state budget today that strengthens California’s fiscal integrity by investing in California's schools, chipping away billions from the "Wall of Debt" and maintaining a prudent reserve.
"This budget builds a solid foundation for California's future by investing in our schools, continuing to pay down our debts and establishing a prudent reserve," said Governor Brown. "But California's fiscal stability will be short-lived unless we continue to exercise the discipline that got us out of the mess we inherited."
When Governor Brown took office, the state faced a $26.6 billion budget deficit, estimated annual gaps of roughly $20 billion and a $35 billion “Wall of Debt.” The revised budget plan unveiled today is balanced and on track to lower the state’s debt to $4.7 billion by 2017—a reduction of over 86 percent. This was achieved through billions of dollars in permanent cuts in the 2011-12 and 2012-13 budgets as well as temporary revenues passed by voters last year.
At the center of the May Revision is a significant investment in the state’s public schools. From 2011-12 to 2016-17, the Proposition 98 guarantee will increase more than $19 billion from $47.3 billion to $66.5 billion. The plan provides $1,046 more per K-12 student in 2013-14 than was provided in 2011-12 and funding levels will increase by $2,754 per student through 2016-17.
In addition to the higher ongoing funding, the May Revision proposes to invest $1 billion in one-time revenues to fund professional development, instructional materials and enhancements to technology to support implementation of new national standards for evaluating student achievement in English-language, arts and math (known as Common Core Standards).
The May Revision also adds $240 million in first-year funding for the Governor’s Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF), for a total of $1.9 billion. It gives all districts the chance to improve with new ongoing funding based on the number of students served, directs additional resources to the state’s neediest students and restores local control over how money is spent in schools.
When fully implemented, it is projected that the formula will spend 80 cents of every dollar on base grants for every district, 16 cents in supplemental funding for every English learner, student from a low income family or foster child in a district and 4 cents for those districts who have a particularly high concentration of these students. While the concentration funds represent only a small portion of the total dollars, they are critically important to those districts with the greatest challenges. Additionally, the May Revision strengthens the proposal’s accountability measures to ensure that the targeted student populations benefit from the funds.
The May Revision also proposes:
· A state-based approach to the optional expansion of subsidized medical care allowed under federal law. This expansion will significantly increase health care coverage and access to new federal dollars.
· A revenue-neutral revamping of the state’s enterprise zone and hiring credit programs to encourage manufacturing investment and increase employment in high-poverty areas.
· An additional $48 million in CalWORKs job training and subsidized employment opportunities.
· To maintain a $500 million increase to the University of California and California State University systems with additional increases in each of the next four years to make higher education more affordable, more efficient and to maintain quality.
While the budget is projected to remain in balance for the foreseeable future, the May Revision also recognizes the risks posed to the budget – including the uncertain economic recovery, court rulings and actions from the federal government – which underscore the need to maintain fiscal discipline.
Click here for the Governor’s Press Release
--Posted 5-14-13
Fifth Priority Funding Period
The fifth Priority Funding filing period began on Wednesday, May 8, 2013. Priority Funding requests with original signatures must be physically received by the OPSC before the close of business on June 6, 2013. It is recommended that districts monitor any mailed letters by tracking the parcel and receiving delivery confirmation. Districts that submit valid requests for their unfunded approved projects during this filing period will be eligible for Priority Funding apportionments from July 1, 2013 through December 31, 2013. Districts opting to participate must file requests for each priority funding round. For additional information, please refer to the Procedures for School Facility Program Funding. If you have any questions, please contact your Project Manager.
--Posted 5-9-13
April 2013 Bond Sale
The Office of Public School Construction (OPSC) is pleased to announce that another State bond sale has been successful in April 2013 and has yielded $114.5 million for School Facility Program projects. The $114.5 million comes entirely from Proposition 1D. The OPSC is currently working to present priority funding apportionments for approval at the May 22, 2013 State Allocation Board meeting.
For questions, please contact your OPSC Project Manager.
--Posted 4/19/13
March 2013 Bond Sale
The Office of Public School Construction is pleased to announce that a successful State bond sale in March 2013 has yielded $500 million for School Facility Program projects. The funding amounts are from various bond measures, as shown below:
· Prop 1A - $460,000
· Prop 47 - $10.06 million
· Prop 55 - $263.54 million
· Prop 1D - $225.94 million
OPSC staff is currently working to present priority funding apportionments for approval at a future State Allocation Board meeting.
For questions, please contact your OPSC Project Manager.
--Posted 3-27-13
Non-Participation in the Priority Funding Process Emergency Regulations
The Office of Public School Construction (OPSC) is pleased to announce that the Office of Administrative Law has approved the Non-Participation in the Priority Funding Process regulations on an emergency basis. The effective date of the regulations was Monday, March 25, 2013. You may recall that there are two ways for a school district to choose not to participate in the Priority Funding process:
Not submit a valid priority funding request in the 30-day filing period, or
Submit a valid priority funding request but fail to submit a valid Form SAB 50-05 to request the release of funds after the SAB approves an apportionment.
The second time that either of these occurs, the funding for the project will be rescinded without further Board action.
A more detailed description of the process is outlined below:
Districts with projects already on the Unfunded List (Lack of AB 55 Loans) or that receive an unfunded approval for a project at an SAB meeting prior to, or during, any 30-day request to participate certification filing period, must submit a valid priority funding request before the end of the 30-day request period.
The next priority funding request period is May 8, 2013 through June 6, 2013. Districts with projects that receive an unfunded approval prior to June 6, 2013 that do not submit a valid request to participate before close of business June 6, 2013, when the 30-day request period ends, will have one non-participation occurrence.
Any districts with a non-participation occurrence must then participate in the next priority funding request period and any subsequent request periods after that, as long as the project remains on the Unfunded List (Lack of AB 55 Loans).
The subsequent priority funding request period is scheduled to take place from November 13, 2013 through December 12, 2013. Any project that already has one non-participation occurrence that does not complete either of the following two steps will be removed from the Unfunded List (Lack of AB 55 loans) and the priority funding apportionment will be rescinded without further Board action:
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Submit a valid priority funding request in the 30-day filing period.
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Submit a valid priority funding request but fail to submit a valid Form SAB 50-05 to request the release of funds after the SAB approves an apportionment.
Should there be questions regarding the regulations, please contact your OPSC Project Manager.
--Posted 3-26-13
New Project Tracking Database on the OPSC Website
The OPSC, in conjunction with the Division of the State Architect (DSA), launched a new and improved project tracking database today. New Construction eligibility, Modernization eligibility, project tracking numbers (PTN), applicable historical information, and the DSA tracker are now available to the public in one centralized location on the OPSC website. Direct Link: http://www.applications.opsc.dgs.ca.gov/PT
Besides providing a central location for project information, the database search abilities have been enhanced so you can search project information using any of the three following numbers: Project Tracking Number (PTN), DSA number, or the OPSC Project/Application number.
This enhanced version of the PTN System includes increased user security, so the next time you log in - you will be asked to create a new and more secure password. PTN passwords must be at least eight characters and contain at least one digit and one letter. Creating or editing a PTN will remain a privilege exclusive to district personnel.
The new Project Tracking link is located on the OPSC website under the "Quick Links" section, and under the “Resources” tab. For more information, please contact your OPSC project manager.
--Posted 3-25-13
Appointment of Assembly Member Adrin Nazarian to the State Allocation Board
The Office of Public School Construction is pleased to announce that Assembly Member Adrin Nazarian has been appointed to the State Allocation Board by Speaker Perez. We welcome the Assembly Member to his new role as a member of the State Allocation Board and look forward to working with him on school facilities issues.
--Posted 2-20-2013
Appointment of Senator Carol Liu to the State Allocation Board
The Office of Public School Construction is pleased to announce that Senator Carol Liu has been appointed to the State Allocation Board by the Senate Rules Committee. We welcome the Senator to her new role as a member of the State Allocation Board and look forward to working with her on school facilities issues.
--Posted 2-8-2013
Emergency Regulations for Labor Compliance Programs Approved
On Monday, December 31, 2012, the Office of Administrative Law (OAL) approved School Facility Program (SFP) emergency regulations, effective immediately, clarifying the Labor Compliance Program (LCP) “written finding” requirement specified in the Labor Code, and providing criteria for districts to receive Proposition 47 or 55 bond funding in cases where a district initiated and enforced an LCP after the construction contract was awarded for the project.
Such districts are able to verify their LCP compliance by submitting a report to the Office of Public School Construction (OPSC) and the Department of Industrial Relations (DIR) prepared by a contracted third party LCP provider that includes:
- Verification that the applicable duties of an LCP were performed on the project;
- Verification that the performance of the applicable LCP duties began within one month after the commencement of the construction work; and
- A written record of the LCP’s confirmation of monthly payroll records for the project.
The DIR has 60 days to review the report and notify the OPSC if the report is determined to be incorrect. Districts would also need to provide a notice to each worker that the district submitted the report and that the workers may contact the OPSC and the DIR concerning the accuracy of the findings.
The emergency regulations apply to projects with construction contracts awarded prior to January 1, 2012 (because different criteria became effective for projects with construction contracts awarded on or after January 1, 2012).
Districts wishing to accelerate bond funding for their projects through the priority funding process must give the DIR 60 calendar days to review the report prior to submitting the Fund Release Authorization (Form SAB 50-05) to receive the funds. To allow districts sufficient time to comply, this requirement of the newly approved regulations will only apply on or after July 1, 2013.
The full text of the new regulations is available on the OPSC website at www.dgs.ca.gov/opsc.
--Posted 1-2-2013
Deadline to Convert a Preliminary Apportionment for Proposition 55 Funded Charter School Facilities Program Projects
The Charter School Facilities Program (CSFP) allows charter schools that provide site based instruction to access State facility funding directly or through the school district where the project will be physically located. Charter schools can receive a preliminary apportionment (reservation of funds) during specified filing rounds. The preliminary apportionment for a CSFP project must be converted within a four-year period to an adjusted grant apportionment, meeting all the School Facility Program (SFP) criteria, unless a one-year extension is granted.
The deadlines to convert a preliminary apportionment to an adjusted grant apportionment for Proposition 55 funded charter schools are approaching in 2013. A complete list, with deadlines, of the Proposition 55 funded CSFP projects that have not converted their preliminary apportionments is available through this link. These deadlines include the optional one-year extension.
For information on the requirements to convert a preliminary apportionment, or to discuss project specific questions, please contact:
Erin Cunneen at erin.cunneen@dgs.ca.gov or (916) 375-4741
Thayne Gunther at thayne.gunther@dgs.ca.gov or (916) 375-8062
Janna Shaffer, Supervisor, at janna.shaffer@dgs.ca.gov or (916) 376-1822
--Posted 8-9-12