Section 151.50  Priority Ranking of Construction Project Grant Awards

If the appropriation for any application cycle is insufficient to fund grants for all applicant school districts that meet the grant award criteria in this Part, then school districts that meet the grant award criteria will be given conditional construction project grant award status, and ranked in order of priority described in this Section.

a)         Districts eligible for grant awards shall be eligible 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).

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) by the ratio of the district's needed capacity to the district's enrollment as of October 1 of the most recent school year.  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) 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 the 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:

3)         As used in this subsection, "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) by the following utilization factors:

e)         A new order of priority ranking shall be established among the applicants for each application cycle.

f)         Type 40 area vocational centers shall be placed last on the priority listing of eligible entities for the applicable fiscal year.  [See Section 5-25 of the School Construction Law].

(Source:  Amended at 47 Ill. Reg. 11439, effective July 12, 2023)