School districts: public contracts.

Existing law requires the governing board of a school district to let contracts for public projects, as defined, involving an expenditure of $15,000 or more, to the lowest responsible bidder who gives security as the governing board requires. This bill would instead require the governing board to let contracts for public projects when the expenditure is $34,500 or more to the above-described lowest responsible bidder. The bill would additionally require the Superintendent of Public Instruction to annually adjust the $34,500 amount, commencing on January 1, 2026. Existing law authorizes the governing board of a school district having an average daily attendance of 35,000 or greater to make repairs to school buildings, grounds, apparatus, or equipment and perform maintenance by day labor or force account, whenever the total numbers of hours on the job does not exceed 750 hours or when the total cost of material does not exceed $21,000, as specified. This bill would instead authorize the governing board of a school district to make repairs and perform maintenance by day labor or force account, as described above, when the total cost of material does not exceed $43,000. The bill would require adjustment of the $43,000 amount to reflect the percentage change in the California Consumer Price Index, beginning on January 1, 2026, and each January 1 thereafter. Existing law authorizes local agencies to elect to become subject to uniform construction accounting procedures, which provides alternative bidding procedures, by adopting a resolution and notifying the Controller. This bill would authorize a governing board of a school district to elect, by adopting a resolution, to evaluate the uniform construction cost accounting procedures if (1) the governing board of the school district has not already elected to be subject to the uniform construction cost accounting procedures; (2) the school district has an average daily attendance of 35,000 or more pupils; and (3) the governing board of a school district has entered into a project labor agreement for all of its public projects, as specified. The bill would, if the governing board of a school district adopts the resolution, increase for one year the threshold for letting contracts for public projects to $220,000 and for repairs and perform maintenance by day labor or force account to $70,000.