Budget Amendment ID: FY2023-S4-847

OTH 847

School Construction Costs

Mr. Crighton moved that the proposed new text be amended by adding the following sections:

"SECTION XX. Chapter 70 of the General Laws is hereby amended by adding the following section:-

Section 18. A school district with a disproportionate share of school buildings: (i) in need of major renovation or potential replacement; (ii) with environments that are not conducive to teaching and learning; (iii) in need of major repairs; or (iv) in need of replacement, as determined by the Massachusetts School Building Authority, may, for a period of time until the debt service obligations for school construction projects in said schools are paid, use not more than 1 per cent of the total amount of state school aid allocated to said school district under this chapter for costs associated with the renovation or replacement of said school buildings.

SECTION XX. For the purposes of promulgating net school spending regulations pursuant to section (2) of chapter 70 of the General Laws, the department of elementary and secondary education shall allow extraordinary maintenance projects to qualify as net school spending up to a total cost per project per school of $500,000.

SECTION XX. Said section 9 of said chapter 70B, as so appearing, is hereby amended by inserting after the word “section”, in line 49, the following words:-; provided, however, that the reimbursement dollar amount per square foot shall be not less than the average of the actual construction cost per square foot of all approved school projects from the previous 3 fiscal years."