State Program for School District Building Construction
Idaho Code §33-909
Public School Facilities Cooperative Funding Program
Summary
This section of Idaho Code defines a funding process for School Districts that seek to replace unsafe school buildings. The process may be initiated either by a local Board of Trustees or by the administrator of the State Division of Building Safety. In either case, a new school proposal is submitted to the Public School Facilities Cooperative Funding Program panel. The panel reviews the proposal and may approve, modify, or reject it. If approved or modified, the proposal then goes to local voters in a Bond Election. If voters fail to approve the bond, the Public School Facilities Cooperative Funding Program will initiate funding, designate a district supervisor to oversee the project, and complete the approved or modified plan for the district’s new school. The Public School Facilities Cooperative Funding Program administrators will then levy taxes on the school district community to repay the cooperative funding program for the new school project.
Eligibility
Any school district that has failed to approve at least one (1) or more bond levies for the repair, renovation or replacement of existing unsafe facilities, within the two (2) year period immediately preceding submission of the application is eligible to apply for Public School Facilities Cooperative Funding Program funds.
Process Sequence – District Initiated Proposal
1. Local Board of Trustees identifies unsafe school conditions.
(a) Building Inspections
(b) Engineering Evaluations/Reports
2. Local Board of Trustees submits proposal, including:
(a) The identified school building safety hazards and such other information necessary to document the deficiencies [engineering reports and inspections];
(b) The school district's plan for abating the defects, including costs and sources and amounts of revenue available to the school district [DesignWest proposal];
(c) The market value for assessment purposes of the school district [total tax base for district tax valuation]; and
(d) A detailed accounting of all bond and plant facility levies of the school district and the revenues raised by such levies.
3. Public School Facilities Cooperative Funding Program panel reviews the proposal and either approves, modifies, or rejects the plan.
4. If the plan is approved or modified, Local Board of Trustees submits funding for the plan (Bond Proposal) to district voters.
5. If the Bond proposal is approved, the Local Board of Trustees moves forward with the Bond and new school construction.
6. If rejected, “the state board of education shall appoint a district supervisor for interim state supervision of the local school district. The district supervisor shall be responsible for ensuring that the project, as approved by the panel, is completed and shall regularly report to the panel in a manner as determined by the panel upon approval of the project.” (IC §33-909) A State-appointed construction manager is appointed to oversee the Salmon District project.
7. Taxes will then be levied by the state on the local district tax base to repay the cost of the project.
Process Sequence – State Division of Building Safety Initiated Proposal
Steps 1 and 2 above are initiated by the administrator of the State Division of Building Safety. Steps 3-7 proceed as listed above, using the plan proposed by the administrator of the State Division of Building Safety.
Implications for Salmon District #291
- We currently have both engineering studies and inspection reports necessary to initiate a proposal.
- We have run multiple failed Bond elections in the past two years.
- We have a cost-effective plan for consolidating two unsafe schools (along with CDC and Life Skills buildings) into a single ADA compliant facility.
- Once application is made, the District has no control over modifications State fund administrators may make on the plan we submit.
- Once the plan is approved or modified, the District has no control over supervision of the completion of the plan.
- The Salmon Community will ultimately pay for the project whether approved as a Bond or completed under direction of the State Board’s appointed supervisor. We are currently investigating the actual tax impact (term and levy amount) if the State initially funds the project, then sets repayment rates for our community.
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
Thursday, March 8, 2012
Responding to Threats
Memorandum
TO: Salmon District Employees
FROM: Joey Foote – Superintendent
DATE: March 8, 2012
RE: Harassment/Intimidation or Threatening Behaviors
HARASSMENT means knowing and willful course of conduct directed at a specific person which seriously alarms, annoys or harasses the person and which serves no legitimate purpose. The course of conduct such as this would cause a reasonable person to suffer substantial emotional distress. (Salmon District Board Policy #3295)
The provisions of this policy shall also apply to the threatening or intimidating display or use of any item capable of causing death or serious bodily harm. (Salmon District Board Policy #3305)
Once again we witnessed the disturbing events surrounding a school shooting, this time in Ohio. A timely review of policy is in order.
Let me clarify the difference between suspension and expulsion. A student who is suspended returns automatically in 1-5 days, depending on the circumstances. A student who is expelled is given conditions on which to return. Expulsion is automatic when any weapon is used in a threatening or intimidating manner. Expulsion is generally a long-term exclusion from school attendance.
Idaho State Law and Salmon School Board Policy expressly state that is our responsibility to deal with any threat, whether it seems viable or not. Each school site has the responsibility to be sure the following are incorporated into their discipline procedures:
1.Any threat of harm or injury is to be reported to the building administrator immediately.
2.Building administrator is to determine if any student or students are in imminent danger. If so, law enforcement is to be contacted and threatening student expelled. If there is no likelihood the threat will be acted on, the threatening student is still suspended.
3.Communicate disciplinary decisions as appropriate. Parents of any student making a threat will be notified via the suspension/expulsion process. It is critical that parents of any student(s) toward whom threats may have been directed are notified as well.
I stress the importance of this last item: Communication. It is essential that parents be contacted and informed of any threats made by or against their students. Law enforcement must be contacted in the case of any viable threat.
Please take time to review Series 3000 in Salmon School Board Policy. Focus particularly on #3295 and #3305 as reference for the above notes.
TO: Salmon District Employees
FROM: Joey Foote – Superintendent
DATE: March 8, 2012
RE: Harassment/Intimidation or Threatening Behaviors
HARASSMENT means knowing and willful course of conduct directed at a specific person which seriously alarms, annoys or harasses the person and which serves no legitimate purpose. The course of conduct such as this would cause a reasonable person to suffer substantial emotional distress. (Salmon District Board Policy #3295)
The provisions of this policy shall also apply to the threatening or intimidating display or use of any item capable of causing death or serious bodily harm. (Salmon District Board Policy #3305)
Once again we witnessed the disturbing events surrounding a school shooting, this time in Ohio. A timely review of policy is in order.
Let me clarify the difference between suspension and expulsion. A student who is suspended returns automatically in 1-5 days, depending on the circumstances. A student who is expelled is given conditions on which to return. Expulsion is automatic when any weapon is used in a threatening or intimidating manner. Expulsion is generally a long-term exclusion from school attendance.
Idaho State Law and Salmon School Board Policy expressly state that is our responsibility to deal with any threat, whether it seems viable or not. Each school site has the responsibility to be sure the following are incorporated into their discipline procedures:
1.Any threat of harm or injury is to be reported to the building administrator immediately.
2.Building administrator is to determine if any student or students are in imminent danger. If so, law enforcement is to be contacted and threatening student expelled. If there is no likelihood the threat will be acted on, the threatening student is still suspended.
3.Communicate disciplinary decisions as appropriate. Parents of any student making a threat will be notified via the suspension/expulsion process. It is critical that parents of any student(s) toward whom threats may have been directed are notified as well.
I stress the importance of this last item: Communication. It is essential that parents be contacted and informed of any threats made by or against their students. Law enforcement must be contacted in the case of any viable threat.
Please take time to review Series 3000 in Salmon School Board Policy. Focus particularly on #3295 and #3305 as reference for the above notes.
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