School facilities: Office of Small School Facilities and Construction.

Existing law, the Leroy F. Greene School Facilities Act of 1998, provides for the adoption of rules, regulations, and procedures, under the administration of the Director of General Services, for the allocation of state funds by the State Allocation Board for the construction and modernization of public school facilities. Existing law requires, upon request of any school district, the State Department of Education to provide assistance in the evaluation and utilization of existing school facilities and the justification of the need for schoolsites, new facilities, and the rehabilitation or replacement of existing facilities, in accordance with board regulations. This bill would require the State Department of Education to establish the Office of Small School Facilities and Construction to provide assistance and guidance to small school districts, as defined. The bill would require, upon request of a small school district, the department to provide assistance in the evaluation and utilization of existing school facilities and the justification of the need of schoolsites, new facilities, and the rehabilitation or replacement of existing facilities, in accordance with board regulations. The bill would require this assistance to include, among other things, providing assistance in the assessment of school facility conditions and providing technical assistance and supportive services. The bill would require the department, in collaboration with the Office of Public School Construction, to provide assistance and guidance to small school districts in the identification, application, and acquisition of state school facilities funding for the construction and development of school facilities. The bill would require this assistance to include, among other things, annually informing small school districts of the availability of state school facilities funding for which they may qualify and responding to requests for assistance in identifying and determining state requirements to become eligible and apply for state facilities funding. The bill would require the department to assign existing staff to the office to provide direct assistance and support to small school districts. The bill would become operative only if the voters approve, at the November 5, 2024, statewide general election, a statewide bond act that provides money for school facilities.