School facilities: construction.

Existing law establishes the Career Technical Education Facilities Program as a part of the Leroy F. Greene School Facilities Act of 1998 for the purpose of providing funding to qualifying local educational agencies for constructing new facilities or reconfiguring existing facilities, including purchasing equipment with an average useful life expectancy of at least 10 years, to enhance educational opportunities for pupils in existing high schools. This bill would require school facilities constructed or modernized with specified bond funds set aside for career technical education purposes to be used for career technical education purposes for a minimum of 5 years. The governing board of an applicant school district would be required to adopt a resolution stating the intent to use those facilities for career technical education purposes and provide certification regarding that use during the first year of occupation. The bill would authorize the governing board of a school district to seek a waiver of the career technical education use requirement from the State Allocation Board if the facility or educational program of the school district changes during the initial 5 years of use and would specify criteria by which to evaluate the waiver request. This bill would require the governing board of school districts with projects approved by the board, as specified, to meet the evaluation criteria. The bill would encourage school districts applying for a career technical education grant to include teachers of career technical education and members of the local career technical education advisory committee in the design and planning process. The bill would authorize up to 25% of the funds provided for equipment to be used for the purchase of items or equipment with a life expectancy of at least 5 years.