District Administration - April 2012 - (Page 41)

or modernization costs to districts. A grant cannot exceed half the cost of the project for which it was awarded. Impact Aid Facilities Maintenance grants help maintain school facilities operated by LEAs that serve military installations. There is no application form, as project needs are determined through LEAs. In 2009, the latest year for which figures are available, $1.2 million was awarded. Several programs are available to plan, design and implement charter schools, such as the Credit Enhancement for Charter School Facilities Program ($10 million in FY 2011) and the State Charter School Incentive Grants Program ($15 million in FY 2009, $15 million in 2010 and $13 million in 2011). Information about the next competition will be posted on the DOE’s Web site when available. Funding may come through yet other federal agencies, as well. For example, a dedicated fund for kitchen improvement, the Equipment Assistance Grants for School Food Authorities, can be found through the Department of Agriculture. This funding provided $100 million to public school facilities in 2009. The Department of the Interior, which is responsible for protecting America’s natural resources and heritage, has the Bureau of Indian Affairs— Elementary and Secondary School Construction fund, which is responsible for constructing, improving and repairing education buildings on Indian lands. In FY 2009, this fund provided $129 million in regular funds to schools. The Department of Defense offers the Military Construction Program, which provides construction resources for DODoperated schools on military bases around the world. A future funding plan was announced in 2010 to address $3.7 billion in construction needs for schools on military bases. Other federal programs may allow funding for school facilities, even though www.DistrictAdministration.com their programs are not specifically dedicated to school facility improvement. The Department of Health and Human Services’ Head Start program includes grants that can be used for purchasing, renovating and constructing facilities. In FY 2009, the program put $7 billion of potential resources into public schools. The Energy Department’s State Energy Program grants provided $39 million in funds in 2011 through formula grants. Formula and competitive grants focus on energy efficiency. Districts apply to the state for competitive grant funding. Creative Funding Administrators can be creative. For example, the State Energy Program Grants can be used for purchasing and installing equipment and materials for energy-efficiency measures and renewable energy measures, including design costs. The Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Public Assistance Program Grants for districts help to reconstruct and repair school facilities damaged or obliterated by a disaster. In FY 2009, $263 million flowed into public education facilities through FEMA’s grants. School districts can apply through FEMA directly. FEMA provided $3 billion to public school facilities between 1998 and 2010, which included $2 billion to schools in Louisiana following Hurricane Katrina. FEMA is now assisting schools on the East Coast devastated by Hurricane Irene, as well as others across the nation affected by floods and natural disasters. The Department of Agriculture has a small Rural Community Facilities Program to help rural communities improve their facilities. It is not specifically designated for schools, but is an allowable program for districts. The program’s grants, along with its direct and guaranteed loans, are available in areas up to 20,000 in population. The amount of assistance available depends upon the median household income and community population. Applications are filed with the USDA Rural Development field offices in each state. Together, these federal grant programs, including FEMA, the departments of Interior and Agriculture, Head Start, and Impact Aid programs, provided a combined $7 billion to public school facilities in 2009-2010. Competitive Grants Finally, competitive grant funds are an ongoing and exciting potential source of revenue. These funds can come from federal or state agencies or from private grants awarded by community and cor- As of 2011, districts hAve $271 billion of deferred building And grounds mAintenAnce in schools. Source: 21st Century School Fund and BEST porate foundations. (Foundation funding is often localized, with a foundation awarding funds to schools within its community or served by its company.) Monitoring grant opportunities to identify those that will allow capital projects can lead to other sources of funding for renovations, repairs and modernization improvements. Federal grant opportunities are posted on the grants.gov Web April 2012 41 http://www.grants.gov http://www.DistrictAdministration.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of District Administration - April 2012

District Administration - April 2012
Contents
From the Editor
News Update
Special Ed Update
Facilities Update
District Profile
Administrator Profile
Robust and Safe BYOD
Success Breeds Success
Funding Building Projects in a Tough Economy
Widening Participation to an IB Education
Why All the Chatter about #EdChat?
Supervisor’s Opinion
Going Mobile
New Directions
Crisis Response
Student Counsel
Product Focus
Online Edge

District Administration - April 2012