wa-law.org > bill > 2023-24 > HB 1064 > Original Bill

HB 1064 - School safety capital grants

Source

Section 1

  1. The office of the superintendent of public instruction may administer a school safety capital grant program as provided for in this section.

  2. Project eligibility.

    1. Grants provided pursuant to this section may only be awarded for school safety projects that make physical improvements intended to advance the safety or security of a school facility. Examples of eligible project types under this section include, but are not limited to: (i) Design and construction of security vestibules; (ii) purchase and installation of metal detectors, facility key card access, remote door access, or panic buttons; (iii) fencing; (iv) lighting; and (v) crime prevention through environmental design projects.

    2. Grantees must use grants awarded under this section to incorporate, to the extent applicable to the project type, crime prevention through environmental design principles.

  3. Applicant eligibility. Common schools, state-tribal education compact schools, and charter schools are eligible to apply for grants under this section. For charter schools, the office of the superintendent of public instruction may award grants only from funding sources other than the common school construction fund.

  4. Application process. Subject to the availability of amounts appropriated for this specific purpose, the office of the superintendent of public instruction shall develop a competitive grant application process and assist eligible applicants in matters related to applying for grants under this section.

  5. Administration.

    1. The office of the superintendent of public instruction may use up to three percent of amounts appropriated for the grant program under this section for costs that result from administration of the program.

    2. The office of the superintendent of public instruction shall award grants under this section on a competitive basis and shall adopt rules for this purpose.

    3. Prior to receiving funding, applicants for a grant under this section must demonstrate that the project site is under their control for a minimum of 10 years, either through ownership or a long-term lease.

    4. In contracts for grants authorized under this section, the office of the superintendent of public instruction shall include provisions that require that capital improvements be held by the grantee for a specified period of time appropriate to the amount of the grant and that facilities be used for the express purpose of the grant. If the office of the superintendent of public instruction finds the grantee to be out of compliance with provisions of the contract, the grantee shall repay the amount of the grant award to the appropriate state fund, as determined by the office of the superintendent of public instruction. If the source of grant funding was general obligation bonds, then the repayment required for grant noncompliance under this subsection must be made to the state general fund and must include the principal amount of the grant plus interest calculated at the rate of interest on state of Washington general obligation bonds issued most closely to the date of authorization of the grant.

  6. Matching funding.

    1. Except as provided for under (b) of this subsection, the office of the superintendent of public instruction shall require grantees under this section to provide matching nonstate funding equal to at least 100 percent of the state grant award.

    2. The office of the superintendent of public instruction shall reduce the required matching percentage under (a) of this subsection for applicants that have more than the statewide average percentage of students eligible for free and reduced-price meals. When determining a reduced nonstate match under this section, the office of the superintendent of public instruction shall reduce the required match only by the amount it deems necessary to enable the applicant's participation in the grant program. However, a grantee receiving a reduced match under this subsection must provide a minimum nonstate match of at least 25 percent of the total estimated project cost pursuant to subsection (7) of this section.

  7. Maximum project cost. Projects receiving a grant award under this section must have a total estimated project cost of $1,000,000 or less.

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