6-21-806. Academic Facilities Master Plan Program — School districts.

6-21-806. Academic Facilities Master Plan Program — School districts. (a) The Academic Facilities Master Plan Program shall require each school district to: (1) Develop a six-year districtwide facilities master plan that shall be approved by the school district's board of directors for submission to and approval by the Division of Public School Academic Facilities and Transportation; (2) Base its facilities master plan on the provisions of the Arkansas Public School Academic Facility Manual as adopted by the Commission for Arkansas Public School Academic Facilities and Transportation, on priorities indicated by statewide assessment, on priorities established by the division statewide facility needs priority list, and on other pertinent data specific to the needs of the school district with regard to academic facilities and equipment; (3) Present a draft of the school district's facilities master plan in a public hearing in the same locality as the school district and take public comments; (4) Submit evidence of the school district's insurance coverage to the division, including coverage amounts, types of coverage, identification of buildings covered, policy renewal dates, and all riders; (5) Submit the school district's facilities master plan with a summary of comments made at public hearing to the division by February 1 of each even-numbered year; (6) Submit a report to the division by February 1 of each odd-numbered year that includes a description of all projects completed in the school district since the submission of the school district's most recent facilities master plan, the school district's current enrollment projections, new or continuing needs of the school district with regard to academic facilities and equipment, and an accounting of any changes in the school district's insurance coverage from the most recent submission; and (7)(A) Submit a report to the division by February 1 of each year that identifies: (i) All unused or underutilized public school facilities in the school district; and (ii) The unused or underutilized public school facilities, if any, that are designated in the district's facilities master plan to be re-used, renovated, or demolished as part of a specific committed project or planned new construction project. (B)(i) The division shall identify a public school facility or other real property as an unused or underutilized public school facility if the school district fails to identify in the report the public school facility or other real property. (ii) A school district may appeal an identification made by the division under subdivision (a)(7)(B)(i) of this section to the commission. (b) A facilities master plan shall include, at a minimum, the following: (1) A schedule of custodial activities for each public school facility used by a school district; (2)(A) A schedule of maintenance, repair, and renovation activities for each public school facility used by a school district. (B) The schedule shall distinguish between work associated with academic facilities and work associated with nonacademic public school facilities; (3)(A) Documentation that describes preventive maintenance work for each public school facility and identifies the completion date of the work. (B) The documentation shall distinguish between preventive maintenance work associated with academic facilities and preventive maintenance work associated with nonacademic public school facilities; (4)(A) Annual expenditures of the school district for all custodial, maintenance, repair, and renovation activities in the school district. (B) The section of the facilities master plan pertaining to the annual expenditures under subdivision (b)(4)(A) of this section shall distinguish between expenditures associated with academic facilities and expenditures associated with nonacademic public school facilities; (5) A projected replacement schedule for major building systems in each public school facility; (6) Identification of issues with regard to public school facility and program access to individuals with disabilities and, if necessary, proposed methods for improving access; (7)(A) Identification of committed projects within the school district that includes, as applicable, a breakdown of the portion of each project into maintenance, repair, and renovation activities and new construction activities. (B) The portion of a committed project pertaining to maintenance, repair, and renovation activities shall identify, as applicable, maintenance, repair, and renovation activities associated with academic facilities and maintenance, repair, and renovation activities associated with nonacademic public school facilities; (8) Annual expenditures of the school district for capital outlay; (9) A description of planned new construction projects with cost estimates for each public school facility within the school district and needs prioritized as follows: (A) Immediate needs that the school district intends to address within three (3) years following the submission of the facilities master plan; and (B) Long-term needs that the school district intends to address within the four (4) to six (6) years following the submission of the facilities master plan; (10) Evidence of the school district's insurance coverage, including coverage amounts, types of coverage, identification of public school facilities covered, policy renewal dates, and all riders; and (11) An update in a format prescribed by the division of any new public school facilities, as defined in § 6-21-803, constructed since the last master plan submission, including individual room types and sizes. (c)(1) The division shall establish procedures and timelines for a school district to submit a preliminary facilities master plan or a master plan outline to the division before the submission of the school district's final facilities master plan. (2) The preliminary facilities master plan or master plan outline shall form the basis for a consultation meeting between representatives of the school district and members of the division. (3) As soon as practicable after submission of the preliminary facilities master plan or master plan outline, the division shall hold the consultation meeting with the school district to: (A) Assure understanding of the general goals of this subchapter and the criteria by which projects will be evaluated; (B) Discuss ways the facilities master plan may be structured to meet the goals of this subchapter; (C) Assist school districts to prepare accurate budgets and reasonable project schedules; and (D) Provide for efficiency and productivity in the approval process for local academic facilities projects and state financial participation in local projects. (d) The division shall review and upon all requirements' being met approve a school district's facilities master plan no later than September 1 of each even-numbered year and shall notify a school district no later than May 1 of each odd-numbered year whether the school district's application for state financial participation during the upcoming biennium in an eligible new construction project has been approved. (e)(1) A school district may amend its facilities master plans at any time during the six-year cycle specified in § 6-21-803. (2) An amendment may be submitted out of the regular even-numbered year cycle if the school district: (A) Has encountered: (i) A major enrollment change; (ii) A major curriculum change; (iii) A major disaster; or (iv) An unforeseen occurrence; or (B)(i) Has begun or completed a self-funded construction project over which the division has only review authority. (ii) An amendment submitted under subdivision (e)(2)(B)(i) of this section may be submitted in the form of an appendix to the existing school district facilities master plan.