State Facility Grants

In 1998, Senate Bill 50 established the School Facility Program (SFP). SFP funding is provided in the form of per pupil grants for activities such as new construction, and modernization. New construction grant eligibility is based on enrollment and is funded on a 50/50 state and local match basis (the state grant amount must be matched by the district using local funds). Modernization grant eligibility is based on a site-specific basis (primarily based on age of site) and is funded on a 60/40 state and local match basis. Considering the local match for a construction project will typically be in the million dollar or more range, the school district's general fund cannot support the required match. Therefore, other local funding sources must be used. 

The most common "other local funding" sources that school districts can use for capital improvement projects are developer fees, or local school bonds. Developer fees are contingent on new development happening in the community, and those fees are restricted for use within the boundary of the development area. For example, developer fees for construction in the Jurupa Valley High School area are not allowed to be used for schools that fall in the Rubidoux High School or Patriot High School areas. Therefore, some school boundary areas may not be experiencing new development, and would not have this developer fee funding available to provide local matching funds for state school facility grants. 

Similarly, local bonds are only made available when voters pass local school bond measures. If there are no local funds available for a school district to use as a match, school districts such as ours cannot qualify to receive this state grant funding.