District facilities staff told the board they have begun the state-required study and survey (D-1) that starts the School Construction Assistance Program (SCAP) process, a multi-step review that includes a building-condition assessment, enrollment projections and a six-year facilities plan.

Greg Fultz, a district facilities staff member, told board members that the state created the asset prevention program (APP) and a building condition-assessment process in the 1990s to support how construction funds are tracked and allocated. He said the study and survey will hire an architect to verify building sizes and conditions and will help the district present accurate information to the state for SCAP eligibility and allocation.

Fultz said the state factors allocation by building age and other measures and that the district must verify entries in its inventory and condition-assessment system. "We're verifying as a district what it says in there, and then the architect will also go back and double check us," he said.

Staff described the state-assistance figure the district would receive for eligible square footage as $375 per square foot in the current award round; district members noted typical construction bids are substantially higher than that. "$375. Typical bids are open in almost double that," Fultz said, noting local bid prices are often much higher. He also said buildings must typically be more than 30 years since last remodel or construction to qualify under the current allocation rules.

Board members asked practical questions about warranties and retainage on construction work. Fultz said the typical warranty tied to acceptance or occupancy is one year and noted retainage commonly holds back about 10 percent of contract value until final acceptance.

The superintendent reminded the board that it previously decided to wait until February to run the district's next levy, and staff said the additional time will allow the district to gather the study-and-survey information needed to explain options to the community.

Staff said the study-and-survey work will require reviewing historic building records (some of which lack detailed documentation) and confirmed the process will lead into community-facing levy and bond planning.