8. Competitive grants; additional review criteria.__In addition to the standard of qualification information identified in subsection 6 and the qualifying actions identified in subsection 7, the review panel shall also consider the following review criteria:

A.__Chance of success, including the extent and quality of historical cooperation among the various school or municipal applicants;

B.__Estimate and likelihood of property tax savings, including the strength and enforceability of all agreements, contracts and commitments supporting the estimated investment returns;

C.__Ability to replicate the efficiency project in other areas of the State; and

D.__Innovation, creativity and likelihood of stimulating similarly structured projects.

9. Relationship to school funding distribution.__Except as provided in this subsection, grants that are authorized pursuant to this chapter must be provided to the successful applicants separately and distinctly from the distribution of school subsidy as targeted grants provided for the purposes of establishing more efficient educational service delivery systems and achieving defined cost reductions.

A.__School administrative units experiencing or projected to experience significant and sustained reductions in total allocation primarily attributable to low student populations or sustained declining school enrollments may be awarded grants under this chapter that are effectively distributed in whole or in part as supplements to the school subsidy that would otherwise be distributed pursuant to chapter 606- B, if all of the following requirements are met:

(1)__Supplemental school subsidy distribution may not be provided for more than a 5-year period;

(2)__The successful applicant must submit a school system reconfiguration plan, approved by the