This bill, HB 515, amends existing laws concerning school building aid by explicitly removing chartered public schools from eligibility for state funding. It deletes references to chartered public schools in several sections of RSA 198, including provisions for grants for school construction and definitions of eligible entities. The Department of Education will now only provide aid to local school districts, effectively excluding chartered public schools from receiving financial support for building projects. Additionally, the bill eliminates the requirement for chartered public schools to submit applications for building aid and the associated approval processes, thereby streamlining the funding process for traditional school districts.

The bill also introduces new provisions regarding the types of facilities eligible for school building aid, stating that office facilities and temporary spaces will not qualify for grants. It establishes that any facilities constructed with state aid must be used for educational purposes for a minimum of 20 years, with penalties for early discontinuation of use. Furthermore, it prioritizes applications with critical needs and allows previously rejected projects to be resubmitted. The requirement for project management is modified, mandating that school districts accepting aid for projects costing $1,000,000 or more must engage a project manager, although the commissioner has the discretion to waive this requirement. Overall, the bill significantly shifts the focus of school building aid towards traditional school districts while excluding chartered public schools from the funding framework.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: 198:15-a, 198:15-b, 198:15-c, 198:15-d, 194-B:3, 194-B:11, 194-B:16