(a) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the State Allocation Board may fund joint-use projects to construct libraries, multipurpose rooms, and gymnasiums, on school campuses where these facilities are used jointly for both school and community purposes.
(b) A school district may apply to the State Allocation Board for funding under this section if it meets all of the following requirements:
(1) The school does not have the type of facility for which it seeks funding.
(2) The school district agrees to provide local matching funds for 50 percent of the eligible cost of the facility as set forth in subdivision (c), and 100 percent local or joint-use funding for all costs that exceed that standard, as required by subdivision (d).
(3) The school district has obtained approval of the plans for the facility from the Division of the State Architect and the State Department of Education.
(4) The school district has entered into a joint-use agreement with its joint-use partner that specifies the method for 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 school pupils will be maintained during school hours.
(5) The school district demonstrates that the facility will be used to the maximum extent possible for school and community purposes after regular school hours.
(c) The State Allocation Board shall establish standards for the amount of funding to be made available for each project under this section. The funding standards may be expressed as per-square-foot cost limits or per-pupil cost limits or both.
(d) Notwithstanding any other provision of this chapter, project costs may exceed the board’s standards set forth in subdivision (c) if the excess is paid completely by local or joint-use partnership sources.
(e) On July 1 of each year the board shall apportion to qualifying applicant school districts those funds that it determines are available for the purposes of this section.
(f) The board may establish priority standards to govern the order of funding projects. If applications exceed available funding, the board shall give priority to applications where the size of the project is increased by at least 30 percent beyond minimum essential facilities through the use of additional funding from a joint-use partner.
(Added by Stats. 2000, Ch. 753, Sec. 2. Effective January 1, 2001.)