(a) The purposes of the Public School Facilities Custodial, Maintenance, Repair, and Renovation Manual and this section are to:
(1) Provide for the long-term conservation and protection of public school facilities;
(2) Eliminate the deterioration of existing and future public school facilities;
(3) Provide a safe and healthy environment for students, teachers, administrators, and staff of the public schools; and
(4) Provide for the efficient use of state and local funds in support of academic facilities in each school district in the state.
(b)
(1) The manual shall contain standards for custodial operations related to public school facilities.
(2) Standards for custodial operations in public school facilities shall include the following:
(A) The required contents of a custodial care plan;
(B) A suggested schedule for routine care and renovation cleaning;
(C) Levels of personnel necessary to perform custodial operations;
(D) Training criteria for the use and storage of supplies and equipment, with emphasis given to chemical right-to-know, indoor air quality, and other applicable standards;
(E) Supplies and equipment necessary to perform custodial operations, including space standards for the proper storage of supplies and equipment;
(F) In-service training opportunities for custodial personnel;
(G) Designation of routine duties;
(H) Designation of renovation cleaning duties; and
(I) Suggested schedule for the sanitary inspection of all school buildings.
(c)
(1) The manual shall contain standards for maintenance, repair, and renovation activities related to public school facilities.
(2) Standards for maintenance, repair, and renovation activities in public school facilities shall include the following:
(A) The required contents of a preventive maintenance plan, which shall include guidelines for:
(i) Scheduling preventive maintenance activities for public school facilities;
(ii) Preparing and retaining documentation that describes preventive maintenance work related to public school facilities and identifies the completion date of the work;
(iii) Scheduling lawfully required inspections of public school facilities conducted by state agencies and commissions; and
(iv) Scheduling the inspections specified by the Commission for Arkansas Public School Academic Facilities and Transportation relating to safe, dry, and healthy public school facilities;
(B)
(i) Development and implementation of a work-request system to allow others to inform a public school's maintenance department of needs and to allow the responsible person to prioritize responses.
(ii)
(a) School districts shall participate in any state-level computerized maintenance management system designed to track work orders and preventative maintenance work established by the Division of Public School Academic Facilities and Transportation at no cost to the school district.
(b) The cost associated with additional maintenance modules by a school district shall be at the expense of the school district and may be within the nine-percent minimum maintenance expenditures under subdivision (d)(1)(A) of this section.
(c) School district use of the computerized management maintenance system under this subdivision (c)(2)(B)(ii) shall include without limitation:
(1) Entering and tracking all reactive and preventative maintenance work;
(2) Entering preventative maintenance schedules for academic and nonacademic facilities' systems;
(3) Documenting completed reactive and preventative maintenance work; and
(4) Scheduling state-mandated inspections as required under § 6-21-813(e);
(C) Levels of personnel necessary to perform maintenance operations;
(D) Training criteria for maintenance personnel with regard to:
(i) School policies;
(ii) Safety procedures;
(iii) Use of specialized equipment;
(iv) Compliance with federal, state, county, and municipal laws and regulations impacting public school facilities and equipment; and
(v) Other applicable areas;
(E) In-service training opportunities for maintenance personnel;
(F) Inspection, cleaning, servicing, and repair of heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning systems;
(G) Inspection and repair of:
(i) Electrical systems;
(ii) Hot water boilers and heaters;
(iii) Fire alarms;
(iv) Fire extinguishers and kitchen hood vent suppression systems;
(v) Emergency lighting and exit light fixtures;
(vi) Elevators and wheelchair lifts;
(vii) Plumbing;
(viii) Roofs;
(ix) Stairwell areas;
(x) Interior and exterior lighting;
(xi) Doors and windows;
(xii) Floor coverings;
(xiii) Masonry and concrete building exteriors;
(xiv) Interior and exterior finishes;
(xv) Kitchen equipment;
(xvi) Sidewalks, driveways, parking areas, and paved play areas; and
(xvii) Parking lots, handicap parking spaces, driveways, fire and emergency vehicle zones, and bus and car loading and unloading areas;
(H) Inspection and repair and servicing of fire sprinkler systems;
(I) Maintenance of a pest control program;
(J) Inspection of playground equipment; and
(K) Grounds maintenance.
(d)
(1)
(A) Each school district shall dedicate nine percent (9%) of its foundation funding exclusively to payment of utilities and costs of custodial, maintenance, repair, and renovation activities, which include related personnel costs, for public school facilities.
(B)
(i) If any amount of the dedicated nine percent (9%) is unspent at the end of the school district's fiscal year, the funds shall carry over, and the school district shall transfer the remaining amount into a public school facilities escrow account.
(ii) A school district may use funds from its public school facilities escrow account in any fiscal year for payment of utilities and costs of custodial, maintenance, repair, and renovation activities, which include related personnel costs, for public school facilities.
(iii)
(a) If a school district wants to use funds from its public school facilities escrow account for new construction, the school district shall apply to the division for its approval.
(b) If the division authorizes the release of funds from the school district's public school facilities escrow account and approves the new construction, the school district may use the funds as authorized by the division.
(2)
(A) A school district is not required to use funds in its public school facilities escrow account for new construction.
(B)
(i) New construction shall be funded by local resources, which may include funds in the school district's public school facilities escrow account if approved by the division.
(ii) In addition, new construction may be eligible for state financial participation.