The bill would authorize construction grants for local educational agencies eligible for Impact Aid. Grants could fund school construction, renovation, and repairs. The Department of Education would award competitive grants based on facility conditions and also distribute formula grants. Some agencies would need to provide a share of project costs; agencies with no bond-issuing capacity could receive full project funding under the bill's rules.
Eligible school agencies could apply for funding to address building safety, accessibility, capacity, technology infrastructure, or teacher housing needs. The bill does not provide grants directly to individuals. Applications that are not funded in one year could be considered the next year during the program period.
The bill would authorize $250 million for each of four fiscal years, subject to appropriations. It assigns 75 percent of yearly funding to competitive grants and 25 percent to formula grants. Some competitive-grant recipients would have to pay 10, 20, or 25 percent of project costs, based on specified criteria; some agencies could receive full funding. In-kind contributions could count toward a required local share.
The bill's stated purpose is to help federally impacted school agencies address facility needs through a federal-local partnership. Its findings cite concerns about aging school buildings, safety, repair needs, and limited local funding capacity.
No publicly available information.