Each school district which desires an apportionment 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.

Estimates of costs for new construction or equipment appearing in an application shall conform to cost standards adopted by the board under Section 16024.

A school district shall not let any contract for new construction included in an application for a construction project which has been approved by the board if the cost exceeds the construction cost standards fixed by the board under Section 16024 for the new construction by more than 2 percent or except as otherwise provided in Section 16332. The amount, if any, by which the contract cost exceeds the construction cost standards fixed by the board shall be borne by the school district and shall not be included in the apportionment.

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 any changes in the plans which an applicant school district submits with its application that the board determines is necessary or desirable to reduce the cost of the project.

(Repealed and added by Stats. 1996, Ch. 277, Sec. 2.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