Section 151.50  Priority Ranking of Construction Grant Entitlements

Priority ranking of construction grant entitlements shall be done if the appropriation for any fiscal year is insufficient to fund grants for all approved grant entitlements.  In this case, districts holding construction grant entitlements shall be eligible for construction grants to be awarded by the Capital Development Board in order of the priority ranking described in this Section.

a)         Districts holding grant entitlements shall be eligible for grant awards in the order of:

1)         the six levels of priority described in Section 5-30 of the School Construction Law; and

2)         the district's ranking within its level of priority, determined according to subsections (b) through (d) of this Section.

b)         A district's ranking within a level of priority shall be determined by multiplying the district's needed capacity as determined under subsection (c) of this Section by the ratio of the district's needed capacity to the district's enrollment as recorded on the district's most recent Fall Enrollment/Housing Report.  The resulting figure shall constitute the district's ranking, with the largest figure having the highest ranking.

c)         Needed Capacity

1)         For each priority other than priority five, the district's needed capacity shall be calculated by subtracting its currently available capacity as determined under subsection (d) of this Section from its current enrollment or its projected enrollment, whichever is greater.

A)        Projected enrollment shall be calculated by multiplying the district's current enrollment by the ratio of the district's current enrollment to the district's enrollment two years before.

B)        For purposes of calculating needed capacity, projected enrollment shall not include any increase in enrollment attributable to a change in the district's boundaries.

2)         For priority five, the district's needed capacity shall be the number of qualified individuals with disabilities who require a school construction project.

d)         Determination of Available Capacity

1)         The enrollment capacity of each room or space currently subject to occupancy by students for instructional purposes in a district-owned, permanent building, or in a building leased by the district if the lease is at least ten years from expiration, shall be determined by dividing the net floor area (in square feet) of such room or space by the appropriate loading factor, as follows:

2)         Buildings and additions with a functional age over one hundred years old shall be assigned an enrollment capacity of zero.  The functional age of a building and each of its additions shall be individually determined by multiplying its actual age by one of the following condition factors, to be determined using the Building Condition Evaluation Form supplied by the State Board of Education:

3)         As used in this subsection (d), "permanent building" means a building mounted on a slab or a permanent foundation.  A permanent foundation is a closed-perimeter formation consisting of materials such as concrete, mortared concrete block, or mortared brick extending into the ground below the frost line which may include but not be limited to cellars, basements, or crawlspaces but does not include the sole use of piers.

4)         Available capacity shall be calculated by multiplying enrollment capacity as determined in subsections (d)(1) through (d)(3) of this Section by the following utilization factors:

e)         A new order of priority ranking shall be established among the applicants for each fiscal year.  If a district is not awarded a construction grant in a fiscal year for which it has received an entitlement, the district must update its application to establish its priority ranking for the following fiscal year.