(105 ILCS 230/Art. 5 heading)
(105 ILCS 230/5-1)
Sec. 5-1. Short title. This Article may be cited as the School Construction Law.
(Source: P.A. 90-548, eff. 1-1-98.)
(105 ILCS 230/5-5)
Sec. 5-5. Definitions. As used in this Article:
"Approved school construction bonds" mean bonds that were approved by referendum after January 1, 1996 but prior to January 1, 1998 as provided in Sections 19-2 through 19-7 of the School Code to provide funds for the acquisition, development, construction, reconstruction, rehabilitation, improvement, architectural planning, and installation of capital facilities consisting of buildings, structures, durable-equipment, and land for educational purposes.
"Grant index" means a figure for each school district equal to one minus the ratio of the district's equalized assessed valuation per pupil in average daily attendance to the equalized assessed valuation per pupil in average daily attendance of the district located at the 90th percentile for all districts of the same category. For the purpose of calculating the grant index, school districts are grouped into 2 categories, Category I and Category II. Category I consists of elementary and unit school districts. The equalized assessed valuation per pupil in average daily attendance of each school district in Category I shall be computed using its grades kindergarten through 8 average daily attendance figure. A unit school district's Category I grant index shall be used for projects or portions of projects constructed for elementary school pupils. Category II consists of high school and unit school districts. The equalized assessed valuation per pupil in average daily attendance of each school district in Category II shall be computed using its grades 9 through 12 average daily attendance figure. A unit school district's Category II grant index shall be used for projects or portions of projects constructed for high school pupils. The changes made by this amendatory Act of the 92nd General Assembly apply to all grants made on or after the effective date of this amendatory Act, provided that for grants not yet made on the effective date of this amendatory Act but made in fiscal year 2001 and for grants made in fiscal year 2002, the grant index for a school district shall be the greater of (i) the grant index as calculated under this Law on or after the effective date of this amendatory Act or (ii) the grant index as calculated under this Law before the effective date of this amendatory Act. The grant index shall be no less than 0.35 and no greater than 0.75 for each district; provided that the grant index for districts whose equalized assessed valuation per pupil in average daily attendance is at the 99th percentile and above for all districts of the same type shall be 0.00.
The grant index shall be calculated for each of those school districts forming a reorganized school district or cooperative high school if one or more of the following happen within the current or prior 2 fiscal years:
"School construction project" means the acquisition, development, construction, reconstruction, rehabilitation, improvement, architectural planning, and installation of capital facilities consisting of buildings, structures, durable equipment, and land for educational purposes.
"School district" means a school district or a Type 40 area vocational center that is jointly owned if the joint agreement includes language that specifies how the debt obligation is to be paid, including in the event that an entity withdraws from the joint agreement.
"School district" includes a cooperative high school, which shall be considered a high school district for the purpose of calculating its grant index.
"School maintenance project" means a project, other than a school construction project, intended to provide for the maintenance or upkeep of buildings or structures for educational purposes, but does not include ongoing operational costs.
(Source: P.A. 96-731, eff. 8-25-09; 96-1381, eff. 1-1-11.)
(105 ILCS 230/5-10)
Sec. 5-10. Grant awards. The Capital Development Board is authorized to make grants to school districts for school construction projects with funds appropriated by the General Assembly from the School Infrastructure Fund pursuant to the provisions of this Article. The State Board of Education is authorized to make grants to school districts for debt service with funds appropriated by the General Assembly from the School Infrastructure Fund pursuant to the provisions of this Article.
(Source: P.A. 90-548, eff. 1-1-98.)
(105 ILCS 230/5-15)
Sec. 5-15. Grant entitlements. The State Board of Education is authorized to issue grant entitlements for school construction projects and debt service and shall determine the priority order for school construction project grants to be made by the Capital Development Board. When issuing a grant entitlement for a school construction project, the Capital Development Board, as a part of that entitlement, shall certify to the district receiving the entitlement the dollar amount of the school construction project's cost that the district will be required to finance with non-grant funds in order to qualify to receive a school construction project grant under this Article from the Capital Development Board.
(Source: P.A. 90-548, eff. 1-1-98; 91-55, eff. 6-30-99.)
(105 ILCS 230/5-20)
Sec. 5-20. Grant application; district facilities plan. School districts shall apply to the State Board of Education for school construction project grants and debt service grants. Districts filing grant applications shall submit to the State Board a district facilities plan that shall include, but not be limited to, an assessment of present and future district facility needs as required by present and anticipated educational programming, the availability of local financial resources including current revenues, fund balances, and unused bonding capacity, a fiscal plan for meeting present and anticipated debt service obligations, and a maintenance plan and schedule that contain necessary assurances that new, renovated, and existing facilities are being or will be properly maintained. If a district that applies for a school construction project grant has no unused bonding capacity or if its unused bonding capacity may be less than the portion of the cost of the proposed school construction project that the district would be required to finance with non-grant funds, the application and facilities plan submitted by the district shall set forth the estimated amount of the project's cost that the district proposes to finance by the issuance of bonds under subsection (n) of Section 19-1 of the School Code. The State Board of Education shall review and approve district facilities plans prior to issuing grant entitlements. Each district that receives a grant entitlement shall annually update its district facilities plan and submit the revised plan to the State Board for approval.
(Source: P.A. 90-548, eff. 1-1-98; 91-55, eff. 6-30-99.)
(105 ILCS 230/5-25)
Sec. 5-25. Eligibility and project standards.
(a) The State Board of Education shall establish eligibility standards for school construction project grants and debt service grants. These standards shall include minimum enrollment requirements for eligibility for school construction project grants of 200 students for elementary districts, 200 students for high school districts, and 400 students for unit districts. The total enrollment of member districts forming a cooperative high school in accordance with subsection (c) of Section 10-22.22 of the School Code shall meet the minimum enrollment requirements specified in this subsection (a). The State Board of Education shall approve a district's eligibility for a school construction project grant or a debt service grant pursuant to the established standards.
For purposes only of determining a Type 40 area vocational center's eligibility for an entity included in a school construction project grant or a school maintenance project grant, an area vocational center shall be deemed eligible if one or more of its member school districts satisfy the grant index criteria set forth in this Law. A Type 40 area vocational center that makes application for school construction funds after August 25, 2009 (the effective date of Public Act 96-731) shall be placed on the respective application cycle list. Type 40 area vocational centers must be placed last on the priority listing of eligible entities for the applicable fiscal year.
(b) The Capital Development Board shall establish project standards for all school construction project grants provided pursuant to this Article. These standards shall include space and capacity standards as well as the determination of recognized project costs that shall be eligible for State financial assistance and enrichment costs that shall not be eligible for State financial assistance.
(c) The State Board of Education and the Capital Development Board shall not establish standards that disapprove or otherwise establish limitations that restrict the eligibility of (i) a school district with a population exceeding 500,000 for a school construction project grant based on the fact that any or all of the school construction project grant will be used to pay debt service or to make lease payments, as authorized by subsection (b) of Section 5-35 of this Law, (ii) a school district located in whole or in part in a county that imposes a tax for school facility or resources purposes pursuant to Section 5-1006.7 of the Counties Code, or (iii) a school district that (1) was organized prior to 1860 and (2) is located in part in a city originally incorporated prior to 1840, based on the fact that all or a part of the school construction project is owned by a public building commission and leased to the school district or the fact that any or all of the school construction project grant will be used to pay debt service or to make lease payments.
(d) A reorganized school district or cooperative high school may use a school construction application that was submitted by a school district that formed the reorganized school district or cooperative high school if that application has not been entitled for a project by the State Board of Education and any one or more of the following happen within the current or prior 4 fiscal years:
(Source: P.A. 101-455, eff. 8-23-19.)
(105 ILCS 230/5-30)
Sec. 5-30. Priority of school construction projects. The State Board of Education shall develop standards for the determination of priority needs concerning school construction projects based upon approved district facilities plans. Such standards shall call for prioritization based on the degree of need and project type in the following order:
(Source: P.A. 96-37, eff. 7-13-09; 96-102, eff. 7-29-09; 96-1000, eff. 7-2-10; 97-880, eff. 8-2-12.)
(105 ILCS 230/5-35)
Sec. 5-35. School construction project grant amounts; permitted use; prohibited use.
(a) The product of the district's grant index and the recognized project cost, as determined by the Capital Development Board, for an approved school construction project shall equal the amount of the grant the Capital Development Board shall provide to the eligible district. The grant index shall not be used in cases where the General Assembly and the Governor approve appropriations designated for specifically identified school district construction projects.
The average of the grant indexes of the member districts in a joint agreement shall be used to calculate the amount of a school construction project grant awarded to an eligible Type 40 area vocational center.
(b) In each fiscal year in which school construction project grants are awarded, 20% of the total amount awarded statewide shall be awarded to a school district with a population exceeding 500,000, provided such district complies with the provisions of this Article.
In addition to the uses otherwise authorized by this Law, any school district with a population exceeding 500,000 is authorized to use any or all of the school construction project grants (i) to pay debt service, as defined in the Local Government Debt Reform Act, on bonds, as defined in the Local Government Debt Reform Act, issued to finance one or more school construction projects and (ii) to the extent that any such bond is a lease or other installment or financing contract between the school district and a public building commission that has issued bonds to finance one or more qualifying school construction projects, to make lease payments under the lease.
(b-3) The Capital Development Board shall make payment in an amount equal to 20% of each amount deposited into the School Infrastructure Fund pursuant to subsection (b-5) of Section 6z-45 of the State Finance Act to the Board of Education of the City of Chicago within 10 days after such deposit. The Board of Education of the City of Chicago shall use such moneys received (i) for application to the costs of a school construction project, (ii) to pay debt service on bonds, as those terms are defined in the Local Government Debt Reform Act, that are issued to finance one or more school construction projects, and (iii) to the extent that any such bond is a lease or other installment or financing contract between the school district and a public building commission that has issued bonds to finance one or more qualifying school construction projects, to make lease payments under the lease. The Board of Education of the City of Chicago shall submit quarterly to the Capital Development Board documentation sufficient to establish that this money is being used as authorized by this Section. The Capital Development Board may withhold payments if the documentation is not provided. The remaining 80% of each such deposit shall be applied in accordance with the provisions of subsection (a) of this Section; however, no portion of this remaining 80% shall be awarded to a school district with a population of more than 500,000.
(b-5) In addition to the uses otherwise authorized by this Law, any school district that (1) was organized prior to 1860 and (2) is located in part in a city originally incorporated prior to 1840 is authorized to use any or all of the school construction project grants (i) to pay debt service on bonds, as those terms are defined in the Local Government Debt Reform Act, that are issued to finance one or more school construction projects and (ii) to the extent that any such bond is a lease or other installment or financing contract between the school district and a public building commission that has issued bonds to finance one or more qualifying school construction projects, to make lease payments under the lease.
(c) No portion of a school construction project grant awarded by the Capital Development Board shall be used by a school district for any on-going operational costs.
(Source: P.A. 98-18, eff. 6-7-13.)
(105 ILCS 230/5-37)
Sec. 5-37. Carry over projects. If a school district has been issued a grant entitlement for a school construction project, has arranged and approved all local financing, and is eligible to receive a school construction project grant award in any fiscal year, but does not receive such award in that year due to lack of adequate appropriations, such school construction projects shall be placed ahead of any new school construction projects within the same priority category as defined in Section 5-30 that are approved for grant awards for the following year.
(Source: P.A. 90-653, eff. 7-29-98.)
(105 ILCS 230/5-38)
Sec. 5-38. Fiscal Year 2002 escalation. If a school district has been issued a school construction grant in Fiscal Year 2010 and the school district was on the FY2002 priority ranking, the Capital Development Board shall escalate the state share grant amount of the project on a 3% annual escalation rate.
(Source: P.A. 96-1554, eff. 3-18-11.)
(105 ILCS 230/5-40)
Sec. 5-40. Supervision of school construction projects; green projects. The Capital Development Board shall exercise general supervision over school construction projects financed pursuant to this Article. School districts, however, must be allowed to choose the architect and engineer for their school construction projects, and no project may be disapproved by the State Board of Education or the Capital Development Board solely due to a school district's selection of an architect or engineer.
With respect to those school construction projects for which a school district first applies for a grant on or after July 1, 2007, the school construction project must receive certification from the United States Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Green Building Rating System or the Green Building Initiative's Green Globes Green Building Rating System or must meet green building standards of the Capital Development Board and its Green Building Advisory Committee. With respect to those school construction projects for which a school district applies for a grant on or after July 1, 2009, the school construction project must receive silver certification from the United States Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Green Building Rating System unless all of the following are met:
(105 ILCS 230/5-43)
Sec. 5-43. (Repealed).
(Source: P.A. 101-10, eff. 6-5-19. Repealed internally, eff. 7-1-20.)
(105 ILCS 230/5-45)
Sec. 5-45. Debt service grants. School districts that have issued approved school construction bonds shall be eligible to apply for debt service grants. The amount awarded to eligible districts for debt service grants shall be equal to 10% of the principal amount of approved school construction bonds issued by the district times the grant index for the district. Debt service grants shall only be used by school districts to: retire principal of approved school construction bonds, restructure the debt service on such bonds, or abate the property taxes levied for the district's bond and interest fund by an amount identical to the amount of the debt service grant. No debt service grants shall be awarded by the State Board of Education after June 30, 1999.
(Source: P.A. 90-548, eff. 1-1-98.)
(105 ILCS 230/5-50)
Sec. 5-50. Referendum requirements. After the State Board of Education has approved all or part of a district's application and issued a grant entitlement for a school construction project grant, the district shall submit the project or the financing of the project to a referendum when such referendum is required by law, except for a project financed by bonds issued pursuant to subsection (p-70) of Section 19-1 of the School Code.
(Source: P.A. 96-1438, eff. 8-20-10; 97-333, eff. 8-12-11.)
(105 ILCS 230/5-55)
Sec. 5-55. Rules.
(a) The Capital Development Board shall promulgate such rules as it deems necessary for carrying out its responsibilities under the provisions of this Article.
(b) The State Board of Education shall promulgate such rules as it deems necessary for carrying out its responsibilities under the provisions of this Article.
(Source: P.A. 90-548, eff. 1-1-98.)
(105 ILCS 230/5-57)
Sec. 5-57. Administration of powers; no changes. Notwithstanding any other law to the contrary and except for those changes absolutely necessary to comply with the changes made to subsection (c) of Section 5-25 of this Law by this amendatory Act of the 96th General Assembly, the Capital Development Board may not make any material changes in the administration of its powers granted under this Law from how it administered those powers on May 18, 2004, unless specifically authorized by law.
(Source: P.A. 96-37, eff. 7-13-09.)
(105 ILCS 230/5-60)
Sec. 5-60. School capital needs assessment. The State Board of Education and the Capital Development Board shall file with the General Assembly a comprehensive assessment report of the capital needs of all school districts in this State before January 1, 2005 and every 2 years thereafter. This assessment shall include without limitation an analysis of the 6 categories of capital needs prioritized in Section 5-30 of this Law.
(Source: P.A. 93-489, eff. 8-8-03.)
(105 ILCS 230/5-100)
Sec. 5-100. School maintenance project grants.
(a) The State Board of Education is authorized to make grants to school districts and special education cooperatives established by school districts, without regard to enrollment, for school maintenance projects. These grants shall be paid out of moneys appropriated for that purpose from the School Infrastructure Fund. No grant under this Section for one fiscal year shall exceed $50,000, but a school district or special education cooperative may receive grants for more than one project during one fiscal year. A school district or special education cooperative must provide local matching funds in an amount equal to the amount of the grant under this Section. A school district or special education cooperative has no entitlement to a grant under this Section.
(b) The State Board of Education shall adopt rules to implement this Section. These rules need not be the same as the rules for school construction project grants or debt service grants.
The rules may specify: (1) the manner of applying for grants; (2) project eligibility requirements; (3) restrictions on the use of grant moneys; (4) the manner in which school districts and special education cooperatives must account for the use of grant moneys; and (5) any other provision that the State Board determines to be necessary or useful for the administration of this Section.
The rules shall specify the methods and standards to be used by the State Board to prioritize applications. School maintenance projects shall be prioritized in the following order:
(c) In each school year in which school maintenance project grants are awarded, 20% of the total amount awarded shall be awarded to a school district with a population of more than 500,000, provided that the school district complies with the requirements of this Section and the rules adopted under this Section.
(Source: P.A. 98-710, eff. 7-16-14.)
(105 ILCS 230/5-200)
Sec. 5-200. School energy efficiency grants.
(a) The State Board of Education is authorized to make grants to school districts and special education cooperatives, without regard to enrollment, for school energy efficiency projects. These grants shall be paid out of moneys appropriated for that purpose from the School Infrastructure Fund. No grant under this Section for one fiscal year shall exceed $250,000, but a school district or special education cooperative may receive grants for more than one project during one fiscal year. A school district or special education cooperative must provide local matching funds in an amount equal to the amount of the grant under this Section. A school district or special education cooperative has no entitlement to a grant under this Section.
(b) The State Board of Education shall adopt rules to implement this Section. These rules need not be the same as the rules for school construction project grants or school maintenance project grants. The rules may specify:
(c) In each school year in which school energy efficiency project grants are awarded, 20% of the total amount awarded shall be awarded to a school district in a city with a population of more than 500,000, provided that the school district complies with the requirements of this Section and the rules adopted under this Section.
(d) Notwithstanding Section 5 of the Illinois Grant Funds Recovery Act, for school energy efficiency grants awarded in 2014, grant funds may be made available for expenditure by a grantee for a period of 4 years from the date the funds were distributed by the State. Any grant funds not expended or legally obligated by the end of the grant agreement must be returned to the grantor agency within 45 days if the funds are not already on deposit with the grantor agency or the State Treasurer. Such returned funds must be deposited into the fund from which the original grant disbursement to the grantee was made.
(Source: P.A. 99-606, eff. 7-22-16.)
(105 ILCS 230/5-300)
Sec. 5-300. Early childhood construction grants.
(a) The Capital Development Board is authorized to make grants to public school districts and not-for-profit entities for early childhood construction projects. These grants shall be paid out of moneys appropriated for that purpose from the School Construction Fund. No grants may be awarded to entities providing services within private residences. A public school district or other eligible entity must provide local matching funds in the following manner:
A public school district or other eligible entity has no entitlement to a grant under this Section.
(b) The Capital Development Board shall adopt rules to implement this Section. These rules need not be the same as the rules for school construction project grants or school maintenance project grants. The rules may specify:
(b-5) When grants are made to non-profit corporations for the acquisition or construction of new facilities, the Capital Development Board or any State agency it so designates shall hold title to or place a lien on the facility for a period of 10 years after the date of the grant award, after which title to the facility shall be transferred to the non-profit corporation or the lien shall be removed, provided that the non-profit corporation has complied with the terms of its grant agreement. When grants are made to non-profit corporations for the purpose of renovation or rehabilitation, if the non-profit corporation does not comply with item (5) of subsection (b) of this Section, the Capital Development Board or any State agency it so designates shall recover the grant pursuant to the procedures outlined in the Illinois Grant Funds Recovery Act.
(c) The Capital Development Board, in consultation with the State Board of Education, shall establish standards for the determination of priority needs concerning early childhood projects based on projects located in communities in the State with the greatest underserved population of young children, utilizing Census data and other reliable local early childhood service data.
(d) In each school year in which early childhood construction project grants are awarded, 20% of the total amount awarded shall be awarded to a school district with a population of more than 500,000, provided that the school district complies with the requirements of this Section and the rules adopted under this Section.
(Source: P.A. 102-16, eff. 6-17-21.)
(105 ILCS 230/5-400)
Sec. 5-400. Charter school construction grants.
(a) The Capital Development Board is authorized to make grants to charter schools, as authorized by Article 27A of the School Code, 105 ILCS 5/Art. 27A, for construction projects. The grants shall be paid out of moneys appropriated for that purpose from the Build Illinois Bond Fund. A charter school and other eligible entities have no entitlement to a grant under this Section.
(b) The Capital Development Board shall adopt rules to implement this Section. These rules need not be the same as the rules for school construction project grants or school maintenance project grants. The rules may specify:
With respect to those school construction projects for which a charter school applies for a grant on or after July 1, 2009, the school construction project must receive silver certification from the United States Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Green Building Rating System.
(Source: P.A. 96-37, eff. 7-13-09.)
(105 ILCS 230/5-900)
Sec. 5-900. The Capital Development Board Act is amended by repealing Article 1A.
(Source: P.A. 90-548, eff. 1-1-98.)
(105 ILCS 230/5-905)
Sec. 5-905. (Amendatory provisions; text omitted).
(Source: P.A. 90-548, eff. 1-1-98; text omitted.)
(105 ILCS 230/5-910)
Sec. 5-910. (Amendatory provisions; text omitted).
(Source: P.A. 90-548, eff. 12-4-97; text omitted.)
(105 ILCS 230/5-915)
Sec. 5-915. (Amendatory provisions; text omitted).
(Source: P.A. 90-548, eff. 1-1-98; text omitted.)
(105 ILCS 230/5-920)
Sec. 5-920. (Amendatory provisions; text omitted).
(Source: P.A. 90-548, eff. 1-1-98; text omitted.)