I. The commissioner, department of education, shall make grants available to designated regional centers for construction of career and technical education facilities or renovation, expansion, or replacement of existing regional career and technical education centers. The state board shall adopt rules, pursuant to N.H. Rev. Stat. Chapter 541-A and N.H. Rev. Stat. § 21-N:9, II, which the commissioner shall carry out, relative to requirements for approval of regional career and technical education centers to receive funds for construction, renovation, expansion, or replacement of such facilities. The rules shall include criteria which guarantee potential sending districts an opportunity to enroll students in the regional career and technical education program, and basic criteria for planning such facilities through cooperative development of plans by the career and technical education staff of the state department of education and the local school district’s staff. When such plans appear to be both educationally and financially acceptable, the department’s career and technical education staff shall recommend to the commissioner that they be approved for funding.
II. Upon completion, the constructed or renovated facility shall become the property of the school district or public academy, for use by the career and technical education center exclusively. Provision of the site, parking, and other related areas shall be the responsibility of the local community. Site work, including but not limited to cut and fill work, compaction, demolition, relocation of utilities, relocation of roadways and sidewalks, and similar work within an area extending to one foot beyond the outside edge of the exterior walls of the building, shall be eligible for grants under paragraph I. Nothing shall prohibit the inclusion of the site and related facilities which are not funded as part of construction cost by the state under this chapter from being included in a regular building aid grant application of the district as provided in N.H. Rev. Stat. § 198:15-b. However, no school district which receives any funding under this chapter shall be eligible to receive school building aid grants under N.H. Rev. Stat. § 198:15-b for the same project. Maintenance, repair, and upkeep of the constructed or renovated facility, including all classroom and laboratory spaces, shall be the responsibility of the school district or public academy, as the case may be.