Enriching the lives of California’s school children as stewards of the taxpayers’ commitment to education.

Priority Funding Eligibility

The priority funding process was created to allow projects that receive unfunded approval by the State Allocation Board (SAB) and are placed on the Unfunded List (Lack of AB 55 Loans) to receive an apportionment with accelerated timelines. 

SFP Regulation Section 1859.90.2 requires a school district to submit a written statement that requests to convert the unfunded approval to an Apportionment. Projects on the Unfunded List (Lack of Bond Authority) cannot make this request.  Any priority funding requests received for projects on the Unfunded List (Lack of Bond Authority) will be returned to the district.

New Non-Participation in Priority Funding Regulations

On March 25, 2013, the Office of Administrative Law approved the Non-Participation in Priority Funding regulations on an emergency basis. There are two ways for a school district to choose not to participate in the priority funding process:  Not submitting a valid priority funding request in the 30-day filing period, or submitting a valid priority funding request but failing to submit a valid Fund Release Authorization (Form SAB 50-05) to request the release of funds after the SAB approves an apportionment. Any project that incurs two non-participation occurrences will be removed from the Unfunded List (Lack of AB 55 Loans), and the priority funding apportionment will be rescinded without further SAB action.

While the Non-Participation regulations are phased in, please click here to view a chart that illustrates which projects are subject to the new regulations.

• Non-Participation Occurrence List (as of June 7, 2013)
• Non-Participation Frequently Asked Questions (as of June 7, 2013)

Priority Funding Request Period

School districts and charter schools with projects on the Unfunded List (Lack of AB 55 Loans) may submit requests to qualify for future priority funding apportionments.

Fifth Priority Funding Request Period

• Filing Period Begins: May 8, 2013
• Filing Period Ends: June 6, 2013
• Requests Expire: December 31, 2013

Districts opting to participate in the priority funding process shall submit a request to convert an unfunded approval to an Apportionment. For information on requirements and instructions for submitting requests, please refer to the Procedures for School Facility Program Funding.

The 30-calendar-day filing period began May 8, 2013. Requests must be physically received by the Office of Public School Construction (OPSC) on or before the close of the filing period on June 6, 2013 by 5 p.m. It is recommended that districts monitor any mailed requests by tracking the parcel and receiving delivery confirmation to ensure timely delivery to the OPSC.  The OPSC will not accept requests after the end of the filing period.

Requests for the fifth filing round will be valid until December 31, 2013. If the project receives an apportionment, the District will have 90 days from the apportionment date to submit a complete and valid Form SAB 50-05. If the project does not receive an apportionment before December 31, 2013, the request will expire and will not be carried over to the next priority funding round. Districts opting to participate in subsequent rounds must file requests for each priority funding round.

Priority Funding Lists

• Priority Funding Round 4 Final List (List effective 2/8/13 – 6/30/13)
• Priority Funding Round 5 Final List (List effective 7/1/13 - 12/31/13) 

Contact:

If you have any questions, please contact your OPSC Project Manager.

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:

• 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

OPSC Events Calendar

For information on important dates, please see the OPSC Events Calendar.

State Allocation Board

The State Allocation Board meets monthly to allocate state funds for the new construction and modernization of local public school facilities. For more information, click on the link.

• SAB Index

Implementation Committee

The SAB established the Implementation Committee (Imp) as an informal advisory body to assist with policy and legislation implementation. For more information, click on the link.

The SAB Implementation Committee meeting scheduled for Friday, June 14, 2013 has been canceled.  The next meeting is scheduled for Friday, July 12, 2013.

Next Implementation Committee Meeting - Friday, July 12, 2013 at 9:30 a.m. Location TBD

• Bond Accountability
  • SFP Project Search
  • Proposition 1D (2006)
  • Proposition 55 (2004)
  • Proposition 47 (2002)
  • Proposition 1A (1998)
• OPSC Performance Metrics Scorecard
• Program Data - PIW Reports

• Project Tracking Search Tool  
• Grant Calculator
• Project Information Worksheet
• SAB 50-01 Enrollment Projection Calculator
• PIW Custom Reports - Search