HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 98-4736, by Representatives B. Thomas, Dunn, Zellinsky, L. Thomas, Honeyford, McDonald, Mastin, Wensman, Radcliff, Parlette, Thompson, Sherstad, Quall, Cairnes, Carrell, D. Schmidt, D. Sommers, Smith, Sump, Mielke, Van Luven, Pennington, Clements, Linville, Alexander, DeBolt, McCune, Carlson, Bush, Backlund, Huff, Lambert, Robertson, Johnson, Dunshee, Cole, Buck and Sullivan

     WHEREAS, The legislature recognizes that school districts are experiencing student enrollment growth beyond current physical capacity and that enrollment projections indicate several thousand new students will be entering the system in the next seven years, placing a considerable burden on existing facilities; and

     WHEREAS, The legislature recognizes that many districts have existing facilities in need of repair and renovation in order to improve safety and meet the needs of an increasing student population; and

     WHEREAS, Despite full funding of eligible school construction projects for the past two biennia, the need for funding of additional projects continues to outpace available funds; and

     WHEREAS, The legislature recognizes the importance of providing an adequate and stable funding source to meet the needs of the variety of school construction projects in demand by the districts; and

     WHEREAS, Review of funding for school construction projects has in the past narrowly focused on capital bonds with little attention to potential alternatives and improving efficiencies within the system in order to reduce capital construction costs; and

     WHEREAS, Laws and rules regarding project eligibility for funding are in need of review to evaluate whether the current process effectively and efficiently identifies eligible projects; and

     WHEREAS, Review of school construction laws and rules must be conducted from both policy and fiscal perspectives in order to ensure that necessary modifications to the system reflect both what is fiscally prudent and what fulfills the variety of structural needs experienced in geographically diverse districts;

     NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, By the House of Representatives, That a task force on school construction funding be established to review the statutory provisions regarding the funding of school construction projects; to provide review of the current funding process to identify areas in need of modification in order to improve efficiency and streamline the current process; to identify additional funding mechanisms to increase stability of available funding resources; and to evaluate potential future demands on the system, and the flexibility needed in the system to address diverse district and geographic needs; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the task force shall consist of nine members, five members from the majority caucus representing the finance, appropriations, capital budget, and education committees, and four members of the minority caucus representing the finance, appropriations, capital budget, and education committees, appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the task force report its findings and recommendations to the legislature by December 31, 1998.

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