S-0476.1

SENATE BILL 5403

BySenators Schoesler, Wellman, Torres, Boehnke, Muzzall, Dozier, Kuderer, Randall, C. Wilson, and L. Wilson

AN ACT Relating to establishing school district depreciation subfunds for the purposes of preventative maintenance; and amending RCW 28A.320.330.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

Sec. 1. RCW 28A.320.330 and 2021 c 332 s 7045 are each amended to read as follows:

School districts shall establish the following funds in addition to those provided elsewhere by law:

(1)(a) A general fund for the school district to account for all financial operations of the school district except those required to be accounted for in another fund.

(b) By the 2018-19 school year, a local revenue subfund of its general fund to account for the financial operations of a school district that are paid from local revenues. The local revenues that must be deposited in the local revenue subfund are enrichment levies and transportation vehicle levies collected under RCW 84.52.053, local effort assistance funding received under chapter 28A.500 RCW, and other school district local revenues including, but not limited to, grants, donations, and state and federal payments in lieu of taxes, but do not include other federal revenues, or local revenues that operate as an offset to the district's basic education allocation under RCW 28A.150.250. School districts must track expenditures from this subfund separately to account for the expenditure of each of these streams of revenue by source, and must provide the supplemental expenditure schedule under (c) of this subsection, and any other supplemental expenditure schedules required by the superintendent of public instruction or state auditor, for purposes of RCW 43.09.2856.

(c) Beginning in the 2019-20 school year, the superintendent of public instruction must require school districts to provide a supplemental expenditure schedule by revenue source that identifies the amount expended by object for each of the following supplementary enrichment activities beyond the state funded amount:

(i) Minimum instructional offerings under RCW 28A.150.220 or 28A.150.260 not otherwise included on other lines;

(ii) Staffing ratios or program components under RCW 28A.150.260, including providing additional staff for class size reduction beyond class sizes allocated in the prototypical school model and additional staff beyond the staffing ratios allocated in the prototypical school formula;

(iii) Program components under RCW 28A.150.200, 28A.150.220, or 28A.150.260, not otherwise included on other lines;

(iv) Program components to support students in the program of special education;

(v) Program components of professional learning, as defined by RCW 28A.415.430, beyond that allocated under RCW 28A.150.415;

(vi) Extracurricular activities;

(vii) Extended school days or an extended school year;

(viii) Additional course offerings beyond the minimum instructional program established in the state's statutory program of basic education;

(ix) Activities associated with early learning programs;

(x) Activities associated with providing the student transportation program;

(xi) Any additional salary costs attributable to the provision or administration of the enrichment activities allowed under RCW 28A.150.276;

(xii) Additional activities or enhancements that the office of the superintendent of public instruction determines to be a documented and demonstrated enrichment of the state's statutory program of basic education under RCW 28A.150.276; and

(xiii) All other costs not otherwise identified in other line items.

(d) For any salary and related benefit costs identified in (c)(xi), (xii), and (xiii) of this subsection, the school district shall maintain a record describing how these expenditures are documented and demonstrated enrichment of the state's statutory program of basic education. School districts shall maintain these records until the state auditor has completed the audit under RCW 43.09.2856.

(2) A capital projects fund shall be established for major capital purposes. All statutory references to a "building fund" shall mean the capital projects fund so established. Money to be deposited into the capital projects fund shall include, but not be limited to, bond proceeds, proceeds from excess levies authorized by RCW 84.52.053, state apportionment proceeds as authorized by RCW 28A.150.270, earnings from capital projects fund investments as authorized by RCW 28A.320.310 and 28A.320.320, and state forest revenues transferred pursuant to subsection (3) of this section.

Money derived from the sale of bonds, including interest earnings thereof, may only be used for those purposes described in RCW 28A.530.010, except that accrued interest paid for bonds shall be deposited in the debt service fund.

Money to be deposited into the capital projects fund shall include but not be limited to rental and lease proceeds as authorized by RCW 28A.335.060, and proceeds from the sale of real property as authorized by RCW 28A.335.130.

Money legally deposited into the capital projects fund from other sources may be used for the purposes described in RCW 28A.530.010, and for the purposes of:

(a) Major renovation and replacement of facilities and systems where periodical repairs are no longer economical or extend the useful life of the facility or system beyond its original planned useful life. Such renovation and replacement shall include, but shall not be limited to, major repairs, exterior painting of facilities, replacement and refurbishment of roofing, exterior walls, windows, heating and ventilating systems, floor covering in classrooms and public or common areas, and electrical and plumbing systems.

(b) Renovation and rehabilitation of playfields, athletic fields, and other district real property.

(c) The conduct of preliminary energy audits and energy audits of school district buildings. For the purpose of this section:

(i) "Preliminary energy audits" means a determination of the energy consumption characteristics of a building, including the size, type, rate of energy consumption, and major energy using systems of the building.

(ii) "Energy audit" means a survey of a building or complex which identifies the type, size, energy use level, and major energy using systems; which determines appropriate energy conservation maintenance or operating procedures and assesses any need for the acquisition and installation of energy conservation measures, including solar energy and renewable resource measures.

(iii) "Energy capital improvement" means the installation, or modification of the installation, of energy conservation measures in a building which measures are primarily intended to reduce energy consumption or allow the use of an alternative energy source.

(d) Those energy capital improvements which are identified as being cost-effective in the audits authorized by this section.

(e) Purchase or installation of additional major items of equipment and furniture: PROVIDED, That vehicles shall not be purchased with capital projects fund money.

(f)(i) Costs associated with implementing technology systems, facilities, and projects, including acquiring hardware, licensing software, and online applications and training related to the installation of the foregoing. However, the software or applications must be an integral part of the district's technology systems, facilities, or projects.

(ii) Costs associated with the application and modernization of technology systems for operations and instruction including, but not limited to, the ongoing fees for online applications, subscriptions, or software licenses, including upgrades and incidental services, and ongoing training related to the installation and integration of these products and services. However, to the extent the funds are used for the purpose under this subsection (2)(f)(ii), the school district shall transfer to the district's general fund the portion of the capital projects fund used for this purpose. The office of the superintendent of public instruction shall develop accounting guidelines for these transfers in accordance with internal revenue service regulations.

(g) Major equipment repair, painting of facilities, and other major preventative maintenance purposes. However, to the extent the funds are used for the purpose under this subsection (2)(g), the school district shall transfer to the district's general fund the portion of the capital projects fund used for this purpose. The office of the superintendent of public instruction shall develop accounting guidelines for these transfers in accordance with internal revenue service regulations. Based on the district's most recent two-year history of general fund maintenance expenditures, funds used for this purpose may not replace routine annual preventive maintenance expenditures made from the district's general fund.

(h) During the 2021-2023 fiscal biennium, renovation and replacement of facilities and systems, purchase or installation of items of equipment and furniture, including maintenance vehicles and machinery, and other preventative maintenance or infrastructure improvement purposes.

(3) A debt service fund to provide for tax proceeds, other revenues, and disbursements as authorized in chapter 39.44 RCW. State forestland revenues that are deposited in a school district's debt service fund pursuant to RCW 79.64.110 and to the extent not necessary for payment of debt service on school district bonds may be transferred by the school district into the district's capital projects fund.

(4) An associated student body fund as authorized by RCW 28A.325.030.

(5) Advance refunding bond funds and refunded bond funds to provide for the proceeds and disbursements as authorized in chapter 39.53 RCW.

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