As used in sections 3318.01 to 3318.20 of the Revised Code:

(A) "Ohio facilities construction commission" means the commission created pursuant to section 123.20 of the Revised Code.

(B) "Classroom facilities" means rooms in which pupils regularly assemble in public school buildings to receive instruction and education and such facilities and building improvements for the operation and use of such rooms as may be needed in order to provide a complete educational program, and may include space within which a child care facility or a community resource center is housed. "Classroom facilities" includes any space necessary for the operation of a vocational education program for secondary students in any school district that operates such a program.

(C) "Project" means a project to construct or acquire classroom facilities, or to reconstruct or make additions to existing classroom facilities, to be used for housing the applicable school district and its functions.

(D) "School district" means a local, exempted village, or city school district as such districts are defined in Chapter 3311. of the Revised Code, acting as an agency of state government, performing essential governmental functions of state government pursuant to sections 3318.01 to 3318.20 of the Revised Code.

For purposes of assistance provided under sections 3318.40 to 3318.45 of the Revised Code, the term "school district" as used in this section and in divisions (A), (C), and (D) of section 3318.03 and in sections 3318.031, 3318.042, 3318.07, 3318.08, 3318.083, 3318.084, 3318.085, 3318.086, 3318.10, 3318.11, 3318.12, 3318.13, 3318.14, 3318.15, 3318.16, and 3318.20 of the Revised Code means a joint vocational school district established pursuant to section 3311.18 of the Revised Code.

(E) "School district board" means the board of education of a school district.

(F) "Net bonded indebtedness" means the difference between the sum of the par value of all outstanding and unpaid bonds and notes which a school district board is obligated to pay and any amounts the school district is obligated to pay under lease-purchase agreements entered into under section 3313.375 of the Revised Code, and the amount held in the sinking fund and other indebtedness retirement funds for their redemption. Notes issued for school buses in accordance with section 3327.08 of the Revised Code, notes issued in anticipation of the collection of current revenues, and bonds issued to pay final judgments shall not be considered in calculating the net bonded indebtedness.

Net bonded indebtedness" does not include indebtedness arising from the acquisition of land to provide a site for classroom facilities constructed, acquired, or added to pursuant to sections 3318.01 to 3318.20 of the Revised Code or the par value of bonds that have been authorized by the electors and the proceeds of which will be used by the district to provide any part of its portion of the basic project cost.

(G) "Board of elections" means the board of elections of the county containing the most populous portion of the school district.

(H) "County auditor" means the auditor of the county in which the greatest value of taxable property of such school district is located.

(I) "Tax duplicates" means the general tax lists and duplicates prescribed by sections 319.28 and 319.29 of the Revised Code.

(J) "Required level of indebtedness" means:

(1) In the case of school districts in the first percentile, five per cent of the district's valuation for the year preceding the year in which the controlling board approved the project under section 3318.04 of the Revised Code.

(2) In the case of school districts ranked in a subsequent percentile, five per cent of the district's valuation for the year preceding the year in which the controlling board approved the project under section 3318.04 of the Revised Code, plus [two one-hundredths of one per cent multiplied by (the percentile in which the district ranks for the fiscal year preceding the fiscal year in which the controlling board approved the district's project minus one)].

(K) "Required percentage of the basic project costs" means one per cent of the basic project costs times the percentile in which the school district ranks for the fiscal year preceding the fiscal year in which the controlling board approved the district's project.

(L) "Basic project cost" means a cost amount determined in accordance with rules adopted under section 111.15 of the Revised Code by the Ohio facilities construction commission. The basic project cost calculation shall take into consideration the square footage and cost per square foot necessary for the grade levels to be housed in the classroom facilities, the variation across the state in construction and related costs, the cost of the installation of site utilities and site preparation, the cost of demolition of all or part of any existing classroom facilities that are abandoned under the project, the cost of insuring the project until it is completed, any contingency reserve amount prescribed by the commission under section 3318.086 of the Revised Code, and the professional planning, administration, and design fees that a school district may have to pay to undertake a classroom facilities project.

For a joint vocational school district that receives assistance under sections 3318.40 to 3318.45 of the Revised Code, the basic project cost calculation for a project under those sections shall also take into account the types of laboratory spaces and program square footages needed for the vocational education programs for high school students offered by the school district.

For a district that opts to divide its entire classroom facilities needs into segments, as authorized by section 3318.034 of the Revised Code, "basic project cost" means the cost determined in accordance with this division of a segment.

(M)

(1) Except for a joint vocational school district that receives assistance under sections 3318.40 to 3318.45 of the Revised Code, a "school district's portion of the basic project cost" means the amount determined under section 3318.032 of the Revised Code.

(2) For a joint vocational school district that receives assistance under sections 3318.40 to 3318.45 of the Revised Code, a "school district's portion of the basic project cost" means the amount determined under division (C) of section 3318.42 of the Revised Code.

(N) "Child care facility" means space within a classroom facility in which the needs of infants, toddlers, preschool children, and school children are provided for by persons other than the parent or guardian of such children for any part of the day, including persons not employed by the school district operating such classroom facility.

(O) "Community resource center" means space within a classroom facility in which comprehensive services that support the needs of families and children are provided by community-based social service providers.

(P) "Valuation" means the total value of all property in the school district as listed and assessed for taxation on the tax duplicates.

(Q) "Percentile" means the percentile in which the school district is ranked pursuant to section 3318.011 of the Revised Code.

(R) "Installation of site utilities" means the installation of a site domestic water system, site fire protection system, site gas distribution system, site sanitary system, site storm drainage system, and site telephone and data system.

(S) "Site preparation" means the earthwork necessary for preparation of the building foundation system, the paved pedestrian and vehicular circulation system, playgrounds on the project site, and lawn and planting on the project site.

Amended by 132nd General Assembly File No. TBD, HB 49, §101.01, eff. 9/29/2017.

Effective Date: 09-26-2003; 05-18-2005; 05-06-2005; 2007 HB119 09-29-2007; 2008 HB562 06-24-2008.