7. a. Preliminary eligible costs for construction of new school facilities and additions to school facilities, characterized by an increase in the square footage of the school facility, shall be approved only if necessary for reasons of unhoused students. Unhoused students are the number of students to be housed in a school building, but which cannot be housed in an existing building without additional space or a new building in order to maintain educational adequacy; or which are temporarily being housed in space that was originally designed or intended for instruction in specialized areas including, but not limited to, science, art, music, other hands-on learning experiences and comprehensive health and physical education. Unhoused students are calculated by subtracting the projected enrollment for a school building from its functional capacity.

Preliminary eligible costs for construction of new school facilities and additions to school facilities pursuant to this subsection shall be calculated as follows:

Preliminary eligible costs = AU x C

where

AU is the approved area for unhoused students; and

C is the area cost allowance.

b. Preliminary eligible costs shall be approved for a rehabilitation project which means the reconstruction, remodeling, alteration, modernization, renovation or repair of school facilities but only for the purpose of keeping the school building functional for its original purpose or for new purposes that can be accomplished without increasing the gross square footage of the original facility.

Preliminary eligible costs for rehabilitation projects pursuant to this subsection shall be calculated as follows:

Preliminary eligible costs = estimated actual costs.

All school facilities shall be deemed suitable for rehabilitation unless a pre-construction evaluation undertaken by the district demonstrates to the satisfaction of the commissioner that the structure might pose a risk to the safety of the occupants even after rehabilitation, or that rehabilitation is not cost-effective. Whenever a district determines to undertake new construction rather than a rehabilitation project, the district shall undertake a preconstruction evaluation to determine whether, because of health and safety or efficiency, it would be more feasible to replace rather than renovate the school facility. When the district demonstrates to the satisfaction of the commissioner that replacement is more feasible, the district shall be authorized to have the school facility replaced rather than renovated and the preliminary eligible costs shall be determined pursuant to subsection a. of this section. The estimated costs of a rehabilitation project shall contain only those costs necessary for compliance with the Uniform Construction Code, health and safety, and educational adequacy as determined pursuant to the facilities efficiency standards and paragraph (1) of subsection g. of section 5 of this act.

c. When construction done in lieu of rehabilitation projects qualifies as new construction, the approved area for unhoused students shall be determined by the commissioner, with consideration of the existing school facilities in the district.

d. Preliminary eligible costs for new construction done in lieu of rehabilitation projects which does not meet the requirements of subsection b. of this section shall be determined in accordance with the methodology for aiding rehabilitation projects, with the preliminary eligible costs determined pursuant to subsection b. of this section.

e. Preliminary eligible costs for purchase of an existing facility to be used as a school facility shall be determined in accordance with the methodology for new construction, with preliminary eligible costs determined pursuant to subsection a. of this section.

f. Notwithstanding the provisions of subsections a. and b. of this section, preliminary eligible costs for any addition or reconstruction, remodeling, alteration, modernization, renovation or repair made to a purchased facility within five years of purchase shall be determined as follows:

Preliminary eligible costs = (ACP-PC) x (C/CP)

where

ACP is the preliminary eligible costs for the facilities purchase pursuant to subsection e. of this section;

PC is the purchase cost for the facility;

C is the area cost allowance at the time of application for the renovation; and

CP is the area cost allowance at the time of purchase of the facility.

Preliminary eligible costs so calculated shall not be less than zero.

L.2000,c.72,s.7.