(1) (a) As soon as possible following the establishment of the public school facility construction guidelines pursuant to section 22-43.7-107, the board shall conduct with the assistance of the division, or contract for, a financial assistance priority assessment of public school facilities throughout the state as provided in this section. The board shall order payment of the costs incurred in conducting or contracting for the financial assistance priority assessment from the assistance fund.
(b) It is the intent of the general assembly that the financial assistance priority assessment required by this section be used only for the purposes specified in paragraph (a) of this subsection (1) and section 22-43.7-107 (1)(a).
(2) (a) The financial assistance priority assessment shall assess public school facility capital construction projects based on:
The condition of the public school facility;
Air and water quality in the public school facility;
Public school facility space requirements;
The ability to accommodate educational technology, including but not limited totechnology for individual student learning and classroom instruction;
Site requirements for the public school facility;
Public school facility demographics, including a five-year projection concerninganticipated substantial changes in the pupil count of individual public school facilities; and
Annualized utility costs, including electricity, natural gas, propane, water, sewer,waste removal, telecommunications, internet, or other monthly billed utility services.
The financial assistance priority assessment shall include five-year projections regarding the issues described in paragraph (a) of this subsection (2).
The board, or the division upon the board's request, shall establish a database to storethe data collected through the financial assistance priority assessment conducted pursuant to this section. The board or the division shall make the data collected available to the public in a form that is easily accessible and complies with any federal or state laws or regulations concerning privacy.
(3) The board shall use the public school facility construction guidelines established pursuant to section 22-43.7-107 in conducting the financial assistance priority assessment described in this section.
Source: L. 2008: Entire article R&RE, p. 1050, § 1, effective May 22. L. 2017: (2)(a)(V) and (2)(a)(VI) amended and (2)(a)(VII) added, (HB 17-1082), ch. 392, p. 2021, § 3, effective June 6.