Compare Versions


Add To My Favorites | print page

SB-15 School facilities.(2003-2004)



Current Version: 09/29/03 - Chaptered

Compare Versions information image


SB15:v90#DOCUMENT

Senate Bill No. 15
CHAPTER 587

An act to amend Sections 17073.15, 17073.20, 17074.10, 17077.40, 17077.42, 17077.45, 17078.52, 17078.53, 17078.54, 17078.56, 17078.57, 17078.58, 17078.62, and 17078.64 of, to add Section 17078.66 to, and to repeal Section 17078.50 of, the Education Code, and to amend Section 65352.2 of the Government Code, relating to education facilities.

[ Filed with Secretary of State  September 29, 2003. Approved by Governor  September 28, 2003. ]

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


SB 15, Alpert. School facilities.
(1) Existing law provides that a school district is eligible to receive an apportionment for modernization of permanent school buildings over 25 years old or portable classrooms that are at least 20 years old and sets forth the manner in which the amount of funding a school district is eligible for is calculated.
This bill would allow an additional apportionment to be made for the modernization of permanent school facilities every 25 years following the date of the previous apportionment and, in the case of portable classrooms, every 20 years after the previous apportionment is made.
This bill would require the board, for a portable classroom that is eligible for a second modernization, to require a school district to use the modernization funds to replace the portable classroom and to certify that the existing eligible portable classroom will be removed from any classroom use, unless the school district is able to document that modernizing the portable classroom is a better use of public resources.
(2) Existing law authorizes the board to provide a grant to fund joint-use projects to construct a facility on a schoolsite if the school district demonstrates that the project meets specified criteria, including that the joint-use project is part of an application for new construction funding.
This bill would, instead, provide that joint-use funding may be provided to a joint-use project to either reconfigure existing school buildings or construct new school buildings, or both, to improve pupil achievement, only if the plans for the facility were accepted for review and approval by the department prior to January 1, 2004.
(3) Existing law conditions eligibility for a joint-use grant on, among other things, demonstration by a school district that it has a joint-use partner that has agreed to provide matching funds for 50% of the eligible costs, as specified.
This bill would require the joint-use agreement to specify the contribution to be made by the school district and the joint-use partner toward the local share and would require the contribution of the joint-use partner to be no less than 25% of the eligible project costs.
(4) Existing law establishes a pilot program to determine the optimum method for providing school facilities funding for charter schools.
This bill would delete the reference to those provisions as being a pilot program.
(5) Existing law further requires the California School Finance Authority, in consultation with the State Allocation Board, to establish a process to be used for the release of funds for that program.
This bill would instead require the State Allocation Board to establish that process.
(6) Existing law provides for submission to the voters of the Kindergarten-University Public Education Facilities Bond Acts of 2002 and 2004 which would, in part, authorize the issuance of bonds for the purpose of funding K-12 school facilities, including, but not limited to, charter school facilities pursuant to the Leroy F. Greene School Facilities Act of 1998 (Greene Act). Existing law also sets forth the manner of funding charter school facilities under the Kindergarten-University Public Education Facilities Bond Act of 2002 including, among other provisions, that the State Allocation Board and the California School Finance Authority provide funding for charter school facilities pursuant to that act.
This bill would set forth the manner of funding charter school facilities under the Kindergarten-University Public Education Facilities Bond Act of 2004, including, among other provisions, the authority for the State Allocation Board and the California School Finance Authority to provide funding for charter school facilities projects.
(7) Existing law requires the board, in consultation with the authority, to approve projects and make preliminary apportionments only to financially sound applicants, as specified.
This bill would require the board to maximize the number of projects that may be approved by adopting total per project funding caps and would require the board to adopt other funding limits including, but not limited to, limits on the amount of acreage and construction funding for each project. The bill would require the construction funding limits to include, but not be limited to, consideration of savings due to retrofitting existing buildings, joint-use projects, or other factors.
(8) Existing law requires the board, in consultation with the authority, to adopt regulations to implement the funding requirements for charter school facilities.
This bill would permit the board to adopt, amend, or repeal rules and regulations pursuant to this chapter as emergency regulations and would state that until July 1, 2004, the adoption, amendment, or repeal of these regulations is conclusively presumed to be necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health, safety, or general welfare, as specified. The bill would further require the State Allocation Board and the California School Finance Authority to jointly report to the Legislature by July 1, 2005, regarding the implementation of the charter schools facilities funding program, including, but not limited to, a description of the projects funded pursuant to the law governing charter schools from the Kindergarten-University Public Education Facilities Bond Act of 2004, a description of the process whereby the board provides funding for charter school facilities under provisions of the Greene Act, other than those governing charter schools, and recommendations, if any, regarding statutory changes needed to facilitate and streamline this process.
(9) This bill would make technical and conforming changes.

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:


SECTION 1.

 Section 17073.15 of the Education Code is amended to read:

17073.15.
 A school district is eligible to receive an apportionment for the modernization of a permanent school building that is more than 25 years old or a portable classroom that is at least 20 years old. A school district is eligible to receive an additional apportionment for the modernization of a permanent school building every 25 years after the date of the previous apportionment or a portable classroom every 20 years after the previous apportionment.

SEC. 2.

 Section 17073.20 of the Education Code is amended to read:

17073.20.
 Funding may be approved for the modernization of any permanent school building that is more than 25 years old, or any portable classroom that is more than 20 years old, as described in Section 17071.30.

SEC. 3.

 Section 17074.10 of the Education Code is amended to read:

17074.10.
 (a) The board shall determine the total funding eligibility of a school district for modernization funding by multiplying the following amounts by each pupil of that grade level housed in school buildings that satisfy the requirements of Section 17073.15:
(1) Two thousand two hundred forty-six dollars ($2,246) for each elementary pupil.
(2) Two thousand three hundred seventy-six dollars ($2,376) for each middle school pupil.
(3) Three thousand one hundred ten dollars ($3,110) for each high school pupil.
(b) The board shall annually adjust the factors set forth in subdivision (a) according to the adjustment for inflation set forth in the statewide cost index for class B construction, as determined by the board.
(c) The board may adopt regulations to be effective until July 1, 2000, that adjust the amounts identified in this section for qualifying individuals with exceptional needs, as defined in Section 56026. The regulations shall be amended after July 1, 2000, in consideration of the recommendations provided pursuant to Section 17072.15.
(d) It is the intent of the Legislature that the amounts provided pursuant to this article for school modernization do not include funding for administrative and overhead costs.
(e) For a school district having an enrollment of 2,500 or less for the prior fiscal year, the board may approve a supplemental apportionment of up to two thousand five hundred dollars ($2,500) for any modernization project assistance. The amount of the supplemental apportionment shall be adjusted in 2001 and every year thereafter by an amount equal to the percentage adjustment for class B construction.
(f) For a portable classroom that is eligible for a second modernization, the board shall require the school district to use the modernization funds to replace the portable classroom and to certify that the existing eligible portable classroom will be removed from any classroom use, unless the school district is able to document that modernizing the portable classroom is a better use of public resources. The capacity and eligibility of the school district shall not be adjusted for replacing a portable classroom pursuant to this subdivision and Section 17073.15.

SEC. 4.

 Section 17077.40 of the Education Code is amended to read:

17077.40.
 (a) With funds made available for the purposes of this article, the board may provide a grant to fund joint-use projects to construct facilities on kindergarten to grade 12, inclusive, schoolsites.
(b) A school district may apply to the board for funding under this article for a project that meets any of the following criteria:
(1) The joint-use project is part of an application for new construction funding under this chapter, and will increase the size or extra cost associated with the joint use of the proposed multipurpose room, gymnasium, child care facility, library, or teacher education facility beyond that necessary for school use.
(2) The joint-use project proposes to either reconfigure existing school buildings or construct new school buildings, or both, to provide for a multipurpose room, a gymnasium, a library, a child care facility, or a teacher education facility and the project will be located at a school that does not have the type of facility for which funds are requested or the existing facility is inadequate.
(3) The joint-use project proposes to either reconfigure existing school buildings or construct new school buildings, or both, to provide for facilities to improve pupil academic achievement, and the plans for the facility were accepted for review and approval by the department prior to January 1, 2004.

SEC. 5.

 Section 17077.42 of the Education Code is amended to read:

17077.42.
 In order to be approved for a grant under this article, the applicant district shall demonstrate that it has complied with all of the following:
(a) The school district has entered into a joint-use agreement with a governmental agency, public community college, public college or public university, or a nonprofit organization approved by the board.
(b) The joint-use agreement specifies the method of sharing capital and operating costs, specifies relative responsibilities for the operation and staffing of the facility, and specifies the manner in which the safety of the pupils will be ensured.
(c) The joint-use agreement specifies the amount of the contribution to be made by the school district and the joint-use partner toward the 50 percent local share of eligible project costs. The contribution made by a joint-use partner shall be no less than 25 percent of eligible project costs, unless the school district has passed a local bond which specifies that such funds are to be used for the joint-use project, in which case the school district may opt to provide up to the full 50 percent local share of eligible costs.
(d) The school district demonstrates that the facility will be used to the maximum extent possible for both school and community purposes, or both school and higher education purposes, as applicable.
(e) (1) The project application qualifies for funding under paragraph (1) of subdivision (b) of Section 17077.40 and the school district has received all approvals necessary for apportionment under this chapter.
(2) The project qualifies for funding under paragraph (2) or (3) of subdivision (b) of Section 17077.40 and the school district has completed preliminary plans for the project and has received State Department of Education approval of the plans.

SEC. 6.

 Section 17077.45 of the Education Code is amended to read:

17077.45.
 (a) The board shall establish standards for determining the amount of the supplemental grant funding to be made available for each project under this article.
(1) For a project application qualifying for funding under paragraph (1) of subdivision (b) of Section 17077.40, the supplemental grant shall be in the form of an adjustment to the per-pupil eligibility of the project. This per-pupil eligibility adjustment shall be calculated to cover costs associated with the project that are uniquely related to the joint-use nature of the project, including, but not limited to, any increased costs associated with planning the joint-use aspect of the project.
(2) For a project application qualifying under paragraph (2) or (3) of subdivision (b) of Section 17077.40, the supplemental grant may be provided without regard to the existence of per-pupil eligibility pursuant to this chapter, and may be expressed on per-square-foot cost basis, on a per-pupil cost basis, or on a per-project cost basis.
(b) Notwithstanding any other provision of this chapter, project costs may exceed the board’s standards established pursuant to subdivision (a) only if the excess is paid completely by local or joint-use partner sources.
(c) On July 1 of each year the board shall apportion to qualifying applicant school districts those funds that it determines are available for the purpose of this article. The board shall not release funds to a qualifying applicant until the project plans have received all approval required pursuant to this chapter, including, but not limited to, the approval of the Division of the State Architect. If the project does not receive all necessary plan approvals within one year of the date of the apportionment, the board shall rescind the apportionment.
(d) If the total funding for the purposes of this article is not sufficient to fund all of the joint-use projects for funding under this article, the board shall first fund projects eligible under paragraphs (1), (2), and (3) of subdivision (b) of Section 17077.40 in that order. The board may establish other priority standards within that order, as necessary.
(e) Except as expressly provided in this article, projects funded pursuant to this article shall comply with all other requirements of this chapter, except for Article 11 (commencing with Section 17078.10), which shall apply only to projects under this article if they also qualify for funding under Article 11 (commencing with Section 17078.10).

SEC. 7.

 Section 17078.50 of the Education Code is repealed.

SEC. 8.

 Section 17078.52 of the Education Code is amended to read:

17078.52.
 (a) There is hereby established the Charter Schools Facilities Program to provide funding to qualifying entities for the purpose of establishing school facilities for charter school pupils.
(b) The 2002 Charter School Facilities Account is hereby established within the 2002 State School Facilities Fund established pursuant to subdivision (b) of Section 17070.40. The proceeds of bonds as set forth in subparagraph (A) of paragraph (1) of subdivision (a) of Section 100620 shall be deposited into the 2002 Charter School Facilities Account for the purposes of this article. Notwithstanding Section 13340 of the Government Code, funds deposited into the account are hereby continuously appropriated for the purposes of this article.
(c) The 2004 Charter School Facilities Account is hereby established within the 2004 State School Facilities Fund established pursuant to subdivision (c) of Section 17070.40. The proceeds of bonds as set forth in subparagraph (A) of paragraph (1) of subdivision (a) of Section 100820, if approved by the voters, shall be deposited into the 2004 Charter School Facilities Account for the purposes of this article. Notwithstanding Section 13340 of the Government Code, funds deposited into the account are hereby continuously appropriated for the purposes of this article.
(d) As used in this article, the following terms have the following meanings:
(1) “Authority” means the California School Finance Authority established pursuant to Section 17172.
(2) “Account” means the 2002 Charter School Facilities Account established within the 2002 State School Facilities Fund pursuant to subdivision (b) or the 2004 Charter School Facilities Account established within the 2004 State School Facilities Fund pursuant to subdivision (c).
(3) “Preliminary apportionment” means an apportionment made for eligible applicants under this article in advance of full compliance with all of the application requirements otherwise required for an apportionment pursuant to this chapter. The process for making preliminary apportionments under this article shall be substantially identical to the process established for critically overcrowded schools pursuant to Sections 17078.22 to 17078.30, inclusive.
(4) “Financially sound” means a charter school that has demonstrated, over a period of time determined by the authority, but not less than 24 months immediately preceding the submission of the application, that it has operated as a financially capable concern in California, as measured by criteria established by the authority. A charter school that cannot demonstrate that it has been a financially capable concern for at least 24 months immediately preceding the submission of the application, due solely to not having operated as a charter school for at least 24 months, may meet this 24-month requirement if the charter school is managed by staff who have at least 24 months of documented experience, as measured by criteria established by the authority and the charter school has an educational plan, financial resources, facilities expertise, management expertise, and has been a financially capable concern for at least 24 months, as established by the authority.
(e) The State Allocation Board shall, from time to time, transfer funds within the account to the California School Finance Authority Fund for the purposes of this article pursuant to the request of the authority as set forth in this article.

SEC. 9.

 Section 17078.53 of the Education Code is amended to read:

17078.53.
 (a) The initial preliminary applications for projects to be funded pursuant to this article shall be submitted to the board by March 31, 2003.
(b) Thereafter, the board may establish subsequent application periods as needed.
(c) Preliminary applications may be submitted by eligible applicants as set forth in this article by either of the following:
(1) A school district on behalf of a charter school that is physically located within the geographical jurisdiction of the school district.
(2) A charter school on its own behalf if the charter school has notified both the superintendent and the governing board of the school district in which it is physically located of its intent to do so in writing at least 30 days prior to submission of the preliminary application.
(d) A preliminary application must demonstrate either of the following:
(1) That a charter petition for the school for which the application is submitted has been granted by the appropriate chartering entity prior to the application deadline determined by the board.
(2) That an already existing charter has been amended to include the school for which the application is submitted and approved by the appropriate chartering entity prior to the deadline determined by the board.
(e) The board, after consideration of the recommendations of the authority regarding whether a charter school is financially sound, shall approve the preliminary application and shall make the preliminary apportionment for funding pursuant to this article.
(f) The board shall establish a process to ensure that pupil attendance in a charter school that is physically located within the geographical jurisdiction of a school district is counted as per-pupil eligibility for that school district and to ensure that the same per-pupil attendance is not so counted for any other school district or other applicant under this chapter.
(g) The board shall establish a process to be used for release of funds for approved projects pursuant to this article. Notwithstanding Section 17072.30, the board may provide for the release of planning and site acquisition funds prior to the approval of the project by the Department of General Services pursuant to the Field Act, as defined in Section 17281.

SEC. 10.

 Section 17078.54 of the Education Code is amended to read:

17078.54.
 (a) An eligible project under this article shall include funding, as permitted by this chapter, for new construction of a school facility for charter school pupils, as set forth in this article. A new construction project may include, but is not limited to, the cost of purchasing and retrofitting an existing building, but may not exceed the amounts set forth in subdivision (b).
(b) The maximum amount of the funding pursuant to this article shall be determined by calculating the charter school’s per-pupil grant amount plus other allowable costs as set forth in this chapter. Funding shall be provided by the authority for new facility construction as set forth in Section 17078.58.
(c) To be funded under this article, a project shall comply with all of the following:
(1) (A) It shall meet all the requirements regarding public school construction, plan approvals, toxic substance review, site selection, and site approval, as would any noncharter school project of a school district under this chapter, including, but not limited to, regulations adopted by the State Architect pursuant to Section 17280.5 relating to the retrofitting of existing buildings, as applicable.
(B) Notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary, including, but not limited to subparagraph (A), the board, after consulting with the relevant regulatory agencies, shall, to the extent feasible, adopt regulations establishing a process for projects to be subject to a streamlined method for obtaining regulatory approvals for all requirements described in subparagraph (A), except for the requirements of the Field Act as defined in Section 17281 which shall be complied with in the same manner as any other project under this chapter.
(2) It shall fund only new construction to be physically located within the geographical jurisdiction of a school district that has demonstrated construction grant eligibility based on current enrollment data as determined pursuant to Section 17072.10, and subdivision (e) of Section 17078.53, for at least the number of pupils set forth in the per-pupil grant request contained in the application.
(d) Facilities funded pursuant to this article shall have a 50 percent local share matching obligation that may be paid by the applicant through lease payments in lieu of the matching share, or as otherwise set forth in this article, including, but not limited to, Section 17078.58.
(e) The authority may charge its administrative costs against the respective 2002 or 2004 Charter School Facilities Account, which shall be subject to the approval of the Department of Finance and which may not exceed 2.5 percent of the account.

SEC. 11.

 Section 17078.56 of the Education Code is amended to read:

17078.56.
 (a) The board, in consultation with the authority, shall approve projects pursuant to this article as otherwise set forth in this chapter, and shall make preliminary apportionments only to financially sound applicants in accordance with all of the following criteria:
(1) The board shall seek to ensure that, when considered as a whole, the applications approved pursuant to this article are fairly representative of the various geographical regions of the state.
(2) The board shall seek to ensure that, when considered as a whole, the applications approved pursuant to this article are fairly representative of urban, rural, and suburban regions of the state.
(3) The board shall seek to ensure that, when considered as a whole, the applications approved pursuant to this article are fairly representative of large, medium, and small charter schools throughout the state.
(4) The board shall seek to ensure that, when considered as a whole, the applications approved pursuant to this article are fairly representative of the various grade levels of pupils served by charter school applicants throughout the state.
(b) While ensuring that the requirements of subdivision (a) are met when considering all approved projects under this article as a whole, the board shall, within each factor of the criteria set forth in subdivision (a), give a preference to charter schools in overcrowded school districts, charter schools in low-income areas, and charter schools operated by not-for-profit entities.
(c) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the board, in conjunction with the California School Finance Authority, shall maximize the number of projects that may be approved under this article by adopting total per project funding caps. The board shall adopt other funding limits including, but not limited to, limits on the amount of acreage for each project and the amounts of construction funding for each project funded under this article. The adoption of construction funding limits shall include, but not be limited to, savings due to retrofitting existing buildings, joint-use projects, or other factors.

SEC. 12.

 Section 17078.57 of the Education Code is amended to read:

17078.57.
 (a) The authority, in consultation with the board, shall adopt regulations establishing uniform terms and conditions that shall apply equally to all projects for funding in accordance with Section 17078.58, including, but not limited to, all of the following:
(1) The process for determining the manner in which the applicant will pay its local matching share, including the method for determining any lease payments to be made in lieu of the local matching share. The regulations shall comply with all of the following criteria:
(A) The payment process set forth in Section 17199.4 may be used.
(B) The payment process shall permit lump-sum local matching payments and shall permit establishment of a schedule for lease payments to be made in lieu of the local matching share.
(C) The lease payment schedule shall be calculated by amortizing one-half of the total approved project costs, minus any lump-sum payments, over the entire payment period as set forth in Section 17078.58.
(D) The payment schedule for lease payments in lieu of the local matching funds pursuant to this section shall be based upon payment, within a reasonable period of time not to exceed a 30-year period, of one-half of the total eligible project costs, and shall be calculated in a manner that is designed to result in full payment of that portion, together with interest thereon at the rate paid on moneys in the Pooled Money Investment Account as of the date of disbursement of the funding.
(2) The method for determining whether a charter school is financially sound. In the case of a charter school chartered by a school district that is located outside of the school district that chartered it, the method developed by the authority shall include, but shall not be limited to, a site visit to the school facility currently being used by the charter school during hours when pupils are present and instruction is being provided.
(3) (A) Security provisions, including, but not limited to, the requirement that title to project facilities be held by the school district in which the facility is to be physically located, in trust, for the benefit of the state public school system.
(B) The authority shall adopt a mechanism whereby a person or entity who provides a substantial contribution that is applied to the costs of the project in excess of the state share and the local matching share may be granted a security interest to be satisfied from the proceeds, if any, realized when the property is ultimately disposed of as set forth in paragraph (5) of subdivision (b) of Section 17078.62.
(4) The method for integrating funding pursuant to this article with the authority’s general procedures pursuant to subdivision (i) of Section 17180 for otherwise funding projects eligible for funding under this chapter, if appropriate.
(b) The authority may adopt, amend, or repeal rules and regulations pursuant to this chapter as emergency regulations. The adoption, amendment, or repeal of these regulations is conclusively presumed to be necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health, safety, or general welfare within the meaning of Section 11346.1 of the Government Code.

SEC. 13.

 Section 17078.58 of the Education Code is amended to read:

17078.58.
 (a) Funding granted pursuant to this article may not exceed 100 percent of the total allowable project costs as determined by calculating double the per-pupil grant eligibility as set forth in Section 17072.10, and subdivision (e) of Section 17078.53, plus 100 percent of all other allowable construction project costs, as appropriate to the project, that would otherwise be available to school district projects as set forth in this chapter.
(b) The local share equivalent shall be collected in the form of lease payments or otherwise as set forth in this article.
(c) Lease payments in lieu of local share payments, and any other local share payments made pursuant to this article, shall be made to the State Allocation Board for deposit into the respective 2002 or 2004 Charter School Facilities Account. Funds deposited into the account pursuant to this section may be used by the board only for a purpose related to charter school facilities pursuant to this article.
(d) When a preliminary apportionment under this article is converted to a final apportionment, any funds not needed for the final apportionment shall remain in the 2002 or 2004 Charter School Facilities Account for use by the board for any purpose related to charter school facilities pursuant to this article.

SEC. 14.

 Section 17078.62 of the Education Code is amended to read:

17078.62.
 (a) As a first priority, the existing charter school shall be permitted to continue to use the facility until it is no longer needed by the charter school for charter school purposes.
(b) If the charter school occupying a facility funded pursuant to this article ceases to utilize the facility for a charter school purpose, all of the following apply:
(1) If the charter school is no longer using the facility because the school district in which the charter school is located has revoked or declined to renew the charter, the school district, as a necessary component of the first priority established in subdivision (a), may not immediately occupy the facility, but shall allow a reasonable time, not to exceed six months, for completion of the review process contemplated in Section 47607 or 47607.5.
(2) As a second priority, any qualifying successor charter school shall be permitted to meet its facility needs by occupying the facility on equal terms as the prior charter school occupant.
(3) As a third priority, the school district in which the charter school is physically located may notify the authority and take possession of the facility and make the facility available for continued use as a public school facility.
(4) If the school district in which the charter school is physically located elects to take possession of a facility pursuant to paragraph (3), it shall pay the balance of the unpaid local matching share or demonstrate that it is willing and able to continue to make the lease payments in lieu of the local matching share on the same terms. However, the payments shall be reduced or eliminated, as appropriate, if the school district complies with all of the following:
(A) It demonstrates that it would have been eligible for hardship funding under Article 8 (commencing with Section 17075.10) at the time that the application for funding the facility under this article was originally submitted.
(B) It certifies to the board that it will utilize the facilities for public school purposes for a period of at least five years from the date that it occupies the facility.
(5) If the school district declines to take possession pursuant to paragraph (3), or if the facility is subsequently no longer needed for public school purposes, the school district shall dispose of the facilities in a manner otherwise applicable to the disposal of surplus public schoolsites. Any unpaid local matching share shall be paid from the net proceeds, if any, of the disposition and shall be deposited into the respective 2002 or 2004 Charter School Facilities Account. To the extent that funds remain from the proceeds of the disposition after repayment of the local matching share, any security interest granted to a person or entity pursuant to subparagraph (B) of paragraph (3) of subdivision (a) of Section 17078.57 shall be satisfied.
(6) If the lease payments in lieu of the local matching share are fully paid, the school district shall continue to hold title to the facility, in trust, for the benefit of the state public school system. The school district shall permit continued use of the facility for charter school purposes as long as the facility is needed for those purposes.

SEC. 15.

 Section 17078.64 of the Education Code is amended to read:

17078.64.
 (a) In lieu of applying for funding under this article, a school district may elect to include facilities for a charter school that would be physically located within its geographical jurisdiction within its application for funding pursuant to the general provisions of this chapter, other than this article. However, the project would be outside the scope of this article, would not be subject to its provisions, and shall comply with this chapter in the same manner as any noncharter project. Any per-pupil eligibility that is used for that project shall not, also, support any project under this article.
(b) Except for those provisions in which the authority is expressly required or authorized to adopt regulations pursuant to this article, the board in consultation with the authority shall adopt regulations to implement this article. The board may adopt, amend, or repeal rules and regulations pursuant to this article as emergency regulations. Until July 1, 2004, the adoption, amendment, or repeal of these regulations is conclusively presumed to be necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health, safety, or general welfare within the meaning of Section 11346.1 of the Government Code.
(c) This article is not applicable to projects funded with the proceeds of state general obligation bonds approved by the voters prior to January 1, 2002.

SEC. 16.

 Section 17078.66 is added to the Education Code, to read:

17078.66.
 The State Allocation Board and the California School Finance Authority shall jointly report to the Legislature by July 1, 2005, regarding all of the following:
(a) The implementation of this article, including, but not limited to, a description of the projects funded pursuant to this article from the Kindergarten-University Public Education Facilities Bond Act of 2004.
(b) A description of the process whereby the board provides funding for charter school facilities under provisions of this chapter other than this article.
(c) Recommendations, if any, regarding statutory changes needed to facilitate and streamline the process described in subdivision (b).

SEC. 17.

 Section 65352.2 of the Government Code is amended to read:

65352.2.
 (a) It is the intent of the Legislature in enacting this section to foster improved communication and coordination between cities, counties, and school districts related to planning for school siting.
(b) Following notification by a local planning agency pursuant to paragraph (2) of subdivision (a) of Section 65352, the governing board of any elementary, high school, or unified school district, in addition to any comments submitted, may request a meeting with the planning agency to discuss possible methods of coordinating planning, design, and construction of new school facilities and schoolsites in coordination with the existing or planned infrastructure, general plan, and zoning designations of the city and county in accordance with subdivision (d). If a meeting is requested, the planning agency shall meet with the school district within 15 days following notification.
(c) At least 45 days prior to completion of a school facility needs analysis pursuant to Section 65995.6, a master plan pursuant to Sections 16011 and 16322 of the Education Code, or other long-range plan, that relates to the potential expansion of existing schoolsites or the necessity to acquire additional schoolsites, the governing board of any school district shall notify and provide copies of any relevant and available information, master plan, or other long-range plan, including, if available, any proposed school facility needs analysis, that relates to the potential expansion of existing schoolsites or the necessity to acquire additional schoolsites, to the planning commission or agency of the city or county with land use jurisdiction within the school district. Following notification, or at any other time, the affected city or county may request a meeting in accordance with subdivision (d). If a meeting is requested, the school district shall meet with the city or county within 15 days following notification. After providing the information specified in this section within the 45-day time period specified in this subdivision, the governing board of the affected school district may complete the affected school facility needs analysis, master plan, or other long-range plan without further delay.
(d) At any meeting requested pursuant to subdivision (b) or (c) the parties may review and consider, but are not limited to, the following issues:
(1) Methods of coordinating planning, design, and construction of new school facilities and schoolsites in coordination with the existing or planned infrastructure, general plan, and zoning designations of the city and county.
(2) Options for the siting of new schools and whether or not the local city or counties existing land use element appropriately reflects the demand for public school facilities, and ensures that new planned development reserves location for public schools in the most appropriate locations.
(3) Methods of maximizing the safety of persons traveling to and from schoolsites.
(4) Opportunities to coordinate the potential siting of new schools in coordination with existing or proposed community revitalization efforts by the city or county.
(5) Opportunities for financial assistance which the local government may make available to assist the school district with site acquisition, planning, or preparation costs.
(6) Review all possible methods of coordinating planning, design, and construction of new school facilities and schoolsites or major additions to existing school facilities and recreation and park facilities and programs in the community.