Each school district that desires an apportionment for a grade level maintained by it, shall submit through its governing board to the board an application therefor in the form and number of copies as the board shall prescribe. Each copy of the application shall be accompanied by a statement of the estimated cost of the project certified by an architect or structural engineer, and by layout plans showing the entire construction project for which the district desires an apportionment. Before the board approves an application for a construction project and makes an apportionment pursuant to this chapter, it shall, after consultation with the Department of General Services, establish standards for all new construction included therein. After this consultation the board shall establish current construction cost standards for that construction. The standards shall not exceed typical comparable new construction by school districts in the same area not receiving or eligible for apportionment under this chapter, or if there has been no new construction by school districts in the area, the standards shall not exceed the reasonable current cost of similar construction in the area. The board shall determine these typical current costs or reasonable current costs. In applying those standards the board shall take into account the size and type of the construction proposed and may make deviations as in their judgment are justified. When a standard has been set by the board to cover any individual apportionment, no apportionment shall be made by the board in excess of that standard, unless the board shall find that in view of a rapid increase in building costs an adjustment is warranted. Immediately upon receipt of an application in the prescribed form accompanied by the required estimate of cost, a copy thereof shall be transmitted by the board to the director and to the Director of General Services.

A school district shall not let any contract for new construction included in an application for a construction project that has been approved by the board if the cost exceeds the construction cost standards fixed by the board under this section for that new construction.

A school district may at any time amend or supplement its application.

Each construction project for which a district applies for an apportionment shall be applied for on a separate application and shall be considered separately by the board. If a district applies for more than one construction project, at the same time or at different times, the priority points of the district shall be recalculated after the approval of each separate construction project and before a subsequent construction project is approved.

The board shall require the changes in the plans that an applicant school district submits with its application as the board determines is necessary or desirable to reduce the cost of the project. The board may also, by rule, provide for the vesting in the director or in the Director of General Services of the responsibility for requiring those changes, according to whether the subject matter of the change is subject to the jurisdiction or approval of the director or the Director of General Services, respectively.

The board may, for good cause as it shall determine, reduce the amount of, or modify any provisions relating to, any contribution required of a school district under the terms of an apportionment, other than any contribution required of the district under Section 16058 from the sale of bonds. However, the board may not, without the consent of the district, increase the amount of any district contribution under the terms of an apportionment, in the absence of mistake arising from any source, or misrepresentation, concealment, or omission, on the part of the district, intentional or otherwise. The provisions of this paragraph shall be applicable to apportionments heretofore or hereafter made.

The Director of General Services shall determine the school district’s financial ability to meet all or a portion of the cost of the project and the amount that the school district can contribute toward the cost of the project out of its available funds, and shall submit his or her report thereon to the board.

The term “available funds” as used in the preceding paragraph means funds of the district other than funds received by gift or bequest.

The director shall, as promptly as possible, prepare a report and recommendation with respect to the application and refer the application, report, and recommendation to the Director of General Services, who shall, if he or she finds the documents to be in proper form and otherwise sufficient, refer them to the board. If the director finds the documents to be lacking in any respect as to any matter that is subject to the jurisdiction or approval of the director or the State Department of Education, or the board of governors, as appropriate to their jurisdiction, he or she shall refer them to the director who shall take action as may be necessary. Subject to this chapter, the board shall approve or reject each application referred to it by the director. If the board approves of the application, either in whole or in part, it shall, by a resolution adopted by it, apportion to the district from the State School Building Aid Fund the amount applied for, or any portion thereof as the board may deem appropriate. However, it may order that the apportionment or any part thereof shall be paid in progressive installments at the time and under the conditions as it may then prescribe. This shall be known as a conditional apportionment and shall become final only if the vote provided for in Section 16058 is favorable and if bonds are authorized and sold in the amounts prescribed by the board, and the proceeds of the bonds sold earmarked for the project as approved. The conditional apportionment shall remain effective for a period of 12 months from the date of the resolution of the board, and if it does not become a final apportionment by that date, it shall become void and the money so apportioned shall become again available for apportionment pursuant to this chapter.

(Repealed and added by Stats. 1996, Ch. 277, Sec. 2. Effective January 1, 1997. Operative January 1, 1998.)