(a)Creation. There is hereby created the State Aid for School Construction Advisory Board, which shall advise the Agency on the implementation of the State Aid for School Construction Program in accordance with the provisions of this chapter, including the adoption of rules, setting of statewide priorities, criteria for project approval, and recommendations for project approval and prioritization.
(b)Membership.
(1)Composition. The Board shall be composed of the following eight members:
(A)four members who shall serve as ex officio members:
(i)the State Treasurer or designee;
(ii)the Commissioner of Buildings and General Services or designee;
(iii)the Executive Director of the Vermont Bond Bank or designee; and
(iv)the Chair of the State Board of Education or designee; and
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(a) Creation. There is hereby created the State Aid for School Construction Advisory Board, which shall advise the Agency on the implementation of the State Aid for School Construction Program in accordance with the provisions of this chapter, including the adoption of rules, setting of statewide priorities, criteria for project approval, and recommendations for project approval and prioritization.
(b) Membership.
(1) Composition. The Board shall be composed of the following eight members:
(A) four members who shall serve as ex officio members:
(i) the State Treasurer or designee;
(ii) the Commissioner of Buildings and General Services or designee;
(iii) the Executive Director of the Vermont Bond Bank or designee; and
(iv) the Chair of the State Board of Education or designee; and
(B) four members, none of whom shall be a current member of the General Assembly, who shall serve four-year terms as follows:
(i) two members, appointed by the Speaker of the House, each of whom shall have expertise in education or construction, real estate, or finance and one of whom shall represent a supervisory union; and
(ii) two members, appointed by the Committee on Committees, each of whom shall have expertise in education or construction, real estate, or finance and one of whom shall be an educator.
(2) Members with four-year terms.
(A) A member with a term limit shall serve a term of four years and until a successor is appointed. A term shall begin on January 1 of the year of appointment and run through December 31 of the last year of the term. Terms of these members shall be staggered so that not all terms expire at the same time.
(B) A vacancy created before the expiration of a term shall be filled in the same manner as the original appointment for the unexpired portion of the term.
(C) A member with a term limit shall not serve more than two consecutive terms. A member appointed to fill a vacancy created before the expiration of a term shall not be deemed to have served a term for the purpose of this subdivision (C).
(c) Duties. The Board shall advise the Agency on the implementation of the State Aid for School Construction Program in accordance with the provisions of this chapter, including:
(1) rules pertaining to school construction and capital outlay;
(2) project priorities;
(3) proposed legislation the Board deems desirable or necessary related to the State Aid for School Construction Program, the provisions of this chapter, and any related laws;
(4) policies and procedures designed to reduce borrowing for school construction programs at both State and local levels;
(5) development of a formal enrollment projection model or the consideration of using projection models already available;
(6) processes and procedures necessary to apply for, receive, administer, and comply with the conditions and requirements of any grant, gift, appropriation of property, services, or monies;
(7) the collection and maintenance of a clearinghouse of prototypical school plans that may be consulted by eligible applicants and recommended incentives to utilize such prototypes;
(8) the determination of eligible cost components of projects for funding or reimbursement, including partial or full eligibility for project components for which the benefit is shared between the school and other municipal and community entities;
(9) development of a long-term vision for a statewide capital plan in accordance with needs and projected funding;
(10) collection and maintenance of data on all public school facilities in the State, including information on size, usage, enrollment, available facility space, and maintenance;
(11) advising districts on the use of a needs survey to ascertain the capital construction, reconstruction, maintenance, and other capital needs for schools across the State; and
(12) encouraging school districts and supervisory unions to investigate opportunities for the maximum utilization of space in and around the district or supervisory union.
(d) Meetings.
(1) The Chair of the State Board of Education shall call the first meeting of the Board to occur on or before September 1, 2025.
(2) The Board shall select a chair from among its members at the first meeting.
(3) A majority of the membership shall constitute a quorum.
(4) The Board shall meet not more than six times per year.
(e) Assistance. The Board shall have the administrative, technical, and legal assistance of the Agency of Education.
(f) Compensation and reimbursement. Members of the Board shall be entitled to per diem compensation and reimbursement of expenses as permitted under 32 V.S.A. § 1010 for not more than six meetings per year.
(g) Report. On or before December 15, 2025, the Board shall submit a written report to the House Committees on Education and on Ways and Means and the Senate Committees on Education and on Finance on recommendations for addressing the transfer of any debt obligations from current school districts to future school districts as contemplated by Vermont’s education transformation.