(d) Removing asbestos from or abating asbestos in a school building;

(e) Removing underground oil storage tanks on the grounds of a school building; and

(f) Undertaking other health, safety and compliance repairs.

(2) Repairs and improvements not related to health, safety and compliance repairs receive 2nd priority status. Those repairs and improvements are limited to a school building structure, windows and doors and to a school building water or septic system.

(3) Upgrade of learning spaces in school buildings and small-scale capital improvements receive 3rd priority status.

(4) The Commissioner of Education may approve other necessary repairs;.

(5)__After the total amount appropriated, allocated and repaid to the fund exceeds $80,000,000, loans may be provided for 2nd priority status, 3rd priority status or other necessary repairs, improvements and upgrades, with approval of the Commissioner of Education, based on rules adopted under this section, as long as the Commissioner of Education determines that substantial progress has been made in addressing repairs and renovations with first priority status;

Sec. 3. Amend rules governing school construction projects. The Department of Education and the State Board of Education shall amend the rules governing school construction projects to provide that the rating points assigned to a project application for the 2001-2002 rating cycle may not be adjusted, reduced or affected by improvements made to existing buildings that relate directly to protecting the health or safety of staff or students, as long as the project application involved received a rating on the school facilities priority list for the 1999-2000 rating cycle and the improvements were made subsequent to the submission of the 1999-2000 application. Rules adopted pursuant to this section are routine technical rules as defined in the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 5, chapter 375, subchapter II-A.

Sec. 4. Amend rules governing School Revolving Renovation Fund. The Department of Education and the Maine Municipal Bond Bank shall amend the rules governing the School Revolving Renovation Fund established in the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 30-A, section 6006-F to define the appropriate circumstances in which the maximum loan amount for a school building may be set at an amount in excess of $1,000,000, in order to maximize the flexibility and efficiency of the fund in addressing needs for repairs and improvements that are substantial in nature or that encompass multiple categories of eligible need. Rules adopted pursuant to this section are routine technical rules as defined in Title 5, chapter 375, subchapter II-A.

SUMMARY

This bill raises the debt service limit for school facilities bonds for fiscal year 2005-06 and fiscal year 2006-07 in order to increase the quantity of school construction and major renovation projects that can be approved in concept by the State Board of Education to go forward during 2002, 2003 and 2004 with bond repayments to impact those fiscal years. The bill also refines the provisions relating to the School Revolving Renovation Fund to permit funds to be provided in the future for basic structural repairs, learning space upgrades and other improvements.

The bill further directs the Department of Education and the State Board of Education to make rules to "hold harmless" in the 2001-2002 rating cycle certain school construction project applications from the 1999-2000 rating cycle that have made interim health and safety improvements prior to submitting a reapplication for the 2001-2002 rating cycle. The bill also directs the Department of Education and the Maine Municipal Bond Bank to amend the rules governing the School Revolving Renovation Fund to increase flexibility and efficiency by providing that the maximum loan amount for a school building may be set at a level other than $1,000,000 under certain circumstances.