Wiseburn Unified has nearly $5 million in school modernization applications on state workload; CalSHAPE grants reimbursements continue

April Thompson, director of state funding at King Consulting, told the Wiseburn Unified School District Board of Education on Oct. 23 that four modernization applications for the district's solar projects are on the state Office of Public School Construction's workload and total nearly $5 million.

Thompson said the applications were submitted under Proposition 51 regulations but will be funded from bond proceeds sold under Proposition 2, which moved the applications into the workload once Proposition 2 passed. "All of these applications totaling almost $5,000,000 are currently on the workload, and they are within bonding authority for Proposition 2," she said.

The board heard that being on the workload generally means the district is within bond authority and eligible for funding when bond proceeds are available. Thompson explained that modernization dollars under Proposition 2 have been nearly exhausted by earlier applications, but districts may continue to submit applications and remain on the workload list.

Why this matters: the district can seek reimbursement for eligible bond-funded capital work, which reduces net local costs for modernization projects but does not provide unrestricted general-purpose revenue. "When you receive this money, it goes into your fund 35, which is then restricted. You have to spend this on other capital facility projects," Thompson said.

Key details from the presentation: Thompson said Wiseburn has historically received more than $60 million in state funding across multiple programs. She described "second round modernization eligibility" that will become available on a date-specific schedule: in 2029 the district will have roughly $4 million in modernization eligibility at Aviation and Del Aire, and in 2032 more than $7.5 million at Wiseburn Bridle (as recorded in the district materials) and Holly Glen Elementary. Thompson emphasized the SFP (State School Facility Program) is reimbursable and that districts must spend locally first to claim reimbursements.

The board also received an update on the California Energy Commission's CalSHAPE program. Thompson said Wiseburn was approved for nearly $500,000 in assessment and maintenance grants at four school sites; the district received an initial release of about $250,000, then another $124,274 after SiteLogic submitted required assessments. "So far the district has received over $372,000 under this program," Thompson said. She said the final release, up to another ~$124,000, is pending CEC acceptance of final reports and reconciliation by SiteLogic.

Board members asked for additional detail on allowable uses and reporting. Thompson reiterated the limits: CalSHAPE and SFP modernization funds are reimbursements that post to restricted capital funds and cannot be moved into the general fund. Board member Neil (first name only in transcript) asked whether the reimbursements were "matching funds" and Thompson confirmed that district expenditures are reimbursed rather than replaced by an unrestricted award.

District staff and board members asked for ongoing visibility into these pipelines; Thompson said the presentation screenshots were drawn from the King Consulting dashboard and offered to present the live dashboard at a future meeting. Board members also asked the district to track and report post-installation utility payback metrics for solar and HVAC investments; district staff said they would examine site-level electric bills and return with metrics or a proposal for contracted analysis.

Ending: Thompson told the board the CalSHAPE work is "sailing along and is almost complete" pending a final reconciliation. Board members thanked her for the presentation and asked King Consulting to return with dashboard screens and any payback analysis the district can generate.