Conn. Gen. Stat. § 10-285a

Current with legislation from 2024 effective through June 6, 2024.

Section 10-285a - Percentage determination for school building project grants

(a)

(1) The percentage of school building project grant money a local board of education may be eligible to receive, under the provisions of section 10-286, shall be assigned by the Commissioner of Administrative Services in accordance with the percentage calculated by the Commissioner of Education as follows:

(A) For grants approved pursuant to section 10-283 for which application is made on and after July 1, 1991, and before July 1, 2011, (i) each town shall be ranked in descending order from one to one hundred sixty-nine according to such town's adjusted equalized net grand list per capita, as defined in section 10-261; and (ii) based upon such ranking, a percentage of not less than twenty nor more than eighty shall be determined for each town on a continuous scale;

(B) for grants approved pursuant to section 10-283 for which application is made on and after July 1, 2011, and before July 1, 2017, (i) each town shall be ranked in descending order from one to one hundred sixty-nine according to such town's adjusted equalized net grand list per capita, as defined in section 10-261, and (ii) based upon such ranking, (I) a percentage of not less than ten nor more than seventy shall be determined for new construction or replacement of a school building for each town on a continuous scale, and (II) a percentage of not less than twenty nor more than eighty shall be determined for renovations, extensions, code violations, roof replacements and major alterations of an existing school building and the new construction or replacement of a school building when a town or regional school district can demonstrate that a new construction or replacement is less expensive than a renovation, extension or major alteration of an existing school building for each town on a continuous scale;

(C) for grants approved pursuant to section 10-283 for which application is made on and after July 1, 2017, and before June 1, 2022, (i) each town shall be ranked in descending order from one to one hundred sixty-nine according to the adjusted equalized net grand list per capita, as defined in section 10-261, of the town two, three and four years prior to the fiscal year in which application is made, (ii) based upon such ranking, (I) a percentage of not less than ten nor more than seventy shall be determined for new construction or replacement of a school building for each town on a continuous scale, and (II) a percentage of not less than twenty nor more than eighty shall be determined for renovations, extensions, code violations, roof replacements and major alterations of an existing school building and the new construction or replacement of a school building when a town or regional school district can demonstrate that a new construction or replacement is less expensive than a renovation, extension or major alteration of an existing school building for each town on a continuous scale;

(D) except as otherwise provided in subdivision (2) of this subsection, for grants approved pursuant to section 10-283 for which application is made on and after June 1, 2022, (i) each town shall be ranked in descending order from one to one hundred sixty-nine according to the adjusted equalized net grand list per capita, as defined in section 10-261, of the town two, three and four years prior to the fiscal year in which application is made, and (ii) based upon such ranking, (I) a percentage of not less than ten nor more than seventy shall be determined for new construction or replacement of a school building for each town on a continuous scale, and (II) a percentage of not less than twenty nor more than eighty shall be determined for renovations, extensions, code violations, roof replacements and major alterations of an existing school building and the new construction or replacement of a school building when a town or regional school district can demonstrate that a new construction or replacement is less expensive than a renovation, extension or major alteration of an existing school building for each town on a continuous scale; and

(E) except as otherwise provided in subdivision (2) of this subsection, for grants approved pursuant to section 10-283 for which application is made on and after July 1, 2024, (i) each town shall be ranked in descending order from one to one hundred sixty-nine according to the adjusted equalized net grand list per capita, as defined in section 10-261, of the town two, three and four years prior to the fiscal year in which application is made, and (ii) based upon such ranking, (I) a percentage of not less than ten nor more than eighty shall be determined for new construction or replacement of a school building for each town on a continuous scale, and (II) a percentage of not less than twenty nor more than eighty shall be determined for renovations, extensions, code violations, roof replacements and major alterations of an existing school building and the new construction or replacement of a school building when a town or regional school district can demonstrate that a new construction or replacement is less expensive than a renovation, extension or major alteration of an existing school building for each town on a continuous scale.

(2) For grants approved pursuant to section 10-283 for which application is made prior to July 1, 2047, the percentage of school building project grant money a local board of education for (A) any town with a total population of eighty thousand or greater may be eligible to receive shall be the greater of the percentage calculated pursuant to subdivision (1) of this subsection or sixty per cent, and (B) the town of Cheshire shall be the greater of the percentage calculated pursuant to subdivision (1) of this subsection or fifty per cent.

(b)

(1) Except as otherwise provided in subdivision (2) of this subsection, the percentage of school building project grant money a regional board of education may be eligible to receive under the provisions of section 10-286 shall be determined by its ranking. Such ranking shall be determined by (A) multiplying the total population, as defined in section 10-261, of each town in the district by such town's ranking, as determined in subsection (a) of this section, (B) adding together the figures determined under subparagraph (A) of this subdivision, and (C) dividing the total computed under subparagraph (B) of this subdivision by the total population of all towns in the district. The ranking of each regional board of education shall be rounded to the next higher whole number and each such board shall receive the same reimbursement percentage as would a town with the same rank plus ten per cent, except that no such percentage shall exceed eighty-five per cent.

(2) Any board of education of a regional school district established or expanded on or after July 1, 2016, that submits an application for a school building project (A) not later than ten years after the establishment or expansion of such regional school district, and (B) that is related to such establishment or expansion, may be eligible to receive a percentage of school building project grant money, under the provisions of section 10-286, as follows: The reimbursement percentage of the town in such regional school district with the greatest reimbursement percentage, as determined in subsection (a) of this section, plus ten per cent.

(c) The percentage of school building project grant money a regional educational service center may be eligible to receive shall be determined by its ranking. Such ranking shall be determined by (1) multiplying the population of each member town in the regional educational service center by such town's ranking, as determined in subsection (a) of this section; (2) adding together the figures for each town determined under subdivision (1) of this subsection, and (3) dividing the total computed under subdivision (2) of this subsection by the total population of all member towns in the regional educational service center. The ranking of each regional educational service center shall be rounded to the next higher whole number and each such center shall receive the same reimbursement percentage as would a town with the same rank.

(d) The percentage of school building project grant money a cooperative arrangement pursuant to section 10-158a, may be eligible to receive shall be determined by its ranking. Such ranking shall be determined by (1) multiplying the total population, as defined in section 10-261, of each town in the cooperative arrangement by such town's ranking, as determined in subsection (a) of this section, (2) adding the products determined under subdivision (1) of this subsection, and (3) dividing the total computed under subdivision (2) of this subsection by the total population of all towns in the cooperative arrangement. The ranking of each cooperative arrangement shall be rounded to the next higher whole number and each such cooperative arrangement shall receive the same reimbursement percentage as would a town with the same rank plus ten percentage points.

(e) If an elementary school building project for a new building or for the expansion of an existing building includes space for a school readiness program, the percentage determined pursuant to this section shall be increased by five percentage points, but shall not exceed one hundred per cent, for the portion of the building used primarily for such purpose. Recipient districts shall maintain full-day preschool enrollment for at least ten years.

(f) The percentage determined pursuant to this section for a school building project grant for the expansion, alteration or renovation of an existing public school building to convert such building for use as a lighthouse school, as defined in section 10-266cc, shall be increased by ten percentage points.

(g) The percentage determined pursuant to this section for a school building project grant shall be increased by the percentage of the total projected enrollment of the school attributable to the number of spaces made available for out-of-district students participating in the program established pursuant to section 10-266aa, provided the maximum increase shall not exceed ten percentage points.

(h) Subject to the provisions of section 10-285d, if an elementary school building project for a school in a priority school district or for a priority school is necessary in order to offer a full-day kindergarten program or a full-day preschool program or to reduce class size pursuant to section 10-265f, the percentage determined pursuant to this section shall be increased by ten percentage points for the portion of the building used primarily for such full-day kindergarten program, full-day preschool program or such reduced size classes. Recipient districts that receive an increase pursuant to this subsection in support of a full-day preschool program, shall maintain full-day preschool enrollment for at least ten years.

(i) For all projects authorized on or after July 1, 2007, all attorneys' fees and court costs related to litigation shall be eligible for state school construction grant assistance only if the grant applicant is the prevailing party in any such litigation.

(j) The percentage determined pursuant to this section for a school building project grant for a diversity school, approved pursuant to section 10-286h, shall be increased by ten percentage points.

(k) The percentage of school building project grant money a local or regional board of education for a municipality deemed to be an inclusive municipality by the Commissioner of Housing may be eligible to receive shall be increased by five percentage points. As used in this subsection, "inclusive municipality" means any municipality that:

(1) Has a total population, as defined in section 10-261, that is greater than six thousand;

(2) has less than ten per cent of its housing units determined by the commissioner to be affordable;

(3) has adopted and maintains zoning regulations that (A) promote fair housing, as determined by the commissioner, (B) provide a streamlined process for the approval of the development of multifamily housing of three units or more, (C) permit mixed-use development, and (D) allow accessory dwelling units; and

(4) has constructed new affordable housing units that (A) are restricted, through deeds, covenants or other means, to individuals or families whose income is eighty per cent or less of the state median income, and (B) equal at least one per cent of such town's total housing units in the three years immediately preceding the submission of an application under this section.

Conn. Gen. Stat. § 10-285a

(P.A. 78-352, S. 1; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 83-4, S. 7, 8; P.A. 85-476, S. 4, 6; 85-599, S. 2, 6; P.A. 86-403, S. 20, 132; P.A. 89-355, S. 1, 20; P.A. 96-244 , S. 26 , 63 ; 96-270 , S. 4 , 11 ; P.A. 97-259 , S. 22 , 41 ; 97-290 , S. 19 , 29 ; P.A. 98-243 , S. 6 , 25 ; P.A. 99-289 , S. 3 , 11 ; P.A. 01-173 , S. 50 , 67 ; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 01-1 , S. 24 , 54 ; P.A. 03-76 , S. 49 ; P.A. 05-245 , S. 6 , 7 ; P.A. 07-242 , S. 11 ; 07-249 , S. 3 , 33 ; P.A. 11-51 , S. 120 ; P.A. 14-90 , S. 9 ; May Sp. Sess. P.A. 16-4 , S. 323 ; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 17-2 , S. 83 .)

Amended by P.A. 23-0207,S. 42 of the Connecticut Acts of the 2023 Regular Session, eff. 10/1/2023.

Amended by P.A. 23-0205,S. 116 of the Connecticut Acts of the 2023 Regular Session, eff. 7/1/2023.

Amended by P.A. 22-0118, S. 492 of the Connecticut Acts of the 2022 Regular Session, eff. 6/1/2022.

Amended by P.A. 22-0146, S. 13 of the Connecticut Acts of the 2022 Regular Session, eff. 6/1/2022.

Amended by P.A. 19-0001, S. 5 of the Connecticut Acts of the 2019 July Special Session, eff. 7/23/2019.

Amended by P.A. 17-0002, S. 83 of the Connecticut Acts of the 2017 Special Session, eff. 10/31/2017.

Amended by P.A. 16-0004, S. 323 of the Connecticut Acts of the 2016 Special Session, eff. 7/1/2016.

Amended by P.A. 14-0090, S. 9 of the Connecticut Acts of the 2014 Regular Session, eff. 7/1/2014.

Amended by P.A. 11-0051, S. 120 of the the 2011 Regular Session, eff. 7/1/2011.