This bill mandates that the Department of Education utilize its 10-year school facilities plans to strategize and forecast building consolidation projects. It amends RSA 198:15-a, V to require that each school district "shall" implement and provide a long-range capital improvement program to the Department, which includes identifying school facility goals, projected expenditures, and procedures for achieving these goals. The bill also stipulates that districts "shall" review and update their anticipated school facility capital improvement plans every two years or as necessary. Additionally, the Department is tasked with using this information to better plan and prioritize capital construction, building consolidation, and renovation expenditures in relation to the state building aid program.

Furthermore, the bill establishes a new School Facility Consolidation Incentive Fund (SFCIF) to support projects leading to school facility closures, with a proposed $10 million appropriation from the education trust fund for FY 2027. The Department of Education will administer this fund, which will provide grants for planning and consolidation projects. The bill also anticipates the need for additional staffing within the Department to manage the increased workload, although it does not directly authorize funding for new positions. The fiscal impact of the bill is indeterminable, as it depends on the level of participation from school districts in the grant program.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: 6:12, 198:15-a, 198:39
As Amended by the House: 198:15-a
HB1818 text: 6:12, 198:15-a, 198:39