On January 19, 2022, Associate Policy Director Brianna January testified before the Senate Budget and Taxation Committee in support of SB 40 Interagency Commission on School Construction – Systemic Renovation Projects – Eligibility. This bill requires the Interagency Commission on School Construction to consider systemic renovation projects, regardless of cost, as eligible for funding from the Supplemental Public School Construction Financing Fund and the Supplemental Public School Construction Facilities Fund.

From the MACo testimony:

Currently, systemic school projects, such as updating HVAC units, for example, are only eligible for financing under the Supplemental Public School Construction Financing Fund and the Supplemental Public School Construction Facilities Fund if they meet a minimum total cost of $4 million, a rather arbitrary figure that effectively denies meritorious smaller-scale improvements.

By nature, the current eligibility requirements exclude many important school systemic projects that happen to fall below $4 million from accessing these funds, and, ultimately, some of these projects have either been delayed or shelved.

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