(a)(1) Each town or regional school district shall be eligible to apply for and accept grants for a school building project as provided in this chapter. Any town desiring a grant for a public school building project may, by vote of its legislative body, authorize the board of education of such town to apply to the Commissioner of Administrative Services and to accept or reject such grant for the town. Any regional school board may vote to authorize the supervising agent of the regional school district to apply to the Commissioner of Administrative Services for and to accept or reject such grant for the district. Applications for such grants under this chapter shall be made by the superintendent of schools of such town or regional school district on the form provided and in the manner prescribed by the Commissioner of Administrative Services. The application form shall require the superintendent of schools to affirm that the school district considered the maximization of natural light, the use and feasibility of wireless connectivity technology and, on and after July 1, 2014, the school safety infrastructure criteria, described in § 10-292r, in projects for new construction and alteration or renovation of a school building. The Commissioner of Administrative Services shall review each grant application for a school building project for compliance with educational requirements and on the basis of categories for building projects established by the Commissioner of Administrative Services in accordance with this section. The Commissioner of Education shall evaluate, if appropriate, whether the project will assist the state in meeting its obligations pursuant to the decision in Sheff v. O’Neill, 238 Conn. 1 (1996), or any related stipulation or order in effect, as determined by the Commissioner of Education. The Commissioner of Administrative Services shall consult with the Commissioner of Education in reviewing grant applications submitted for purposes of subsection (a) of § 10-65 or § 10-76e on the basis of the educational needs of the applicant. The Commissioner of Administrative Services shall review each grant application for a school building project for compliance with standards for school building projects pursuant to regulations, adopted in accordance with § 10-287c, and, on and after July 1, 2014, the school safety infrastructure criteria, described in § 10-292r. Notwithstanding the provisions of this chapter, the Board of Trustees of the Community-Technical Colleges on behalf of Quinebaug Valley Community College and Three Rivers Community College and the following entities that will operate an interdistrict magnet school that will assist the state in meeting its obligations pursuant to the decision in Sheff v. O’Neill, 238 Conn. 1 (1996), or any related stipulation or order in effect, as determined by the Commissioner of Education, may apply for and shall be eligible to receive grants for school building projects pursuant to § 10-264h for such a school: (A) The Board of Trustees of the Community-Technical Colleges on behalf of a regional community-technical college, (B) the Board of Trustees of the Connecticut State University System on behalf of a state university, (C) the Board of Trustees for The University of Connecticut on behalf of the university, (D) the board of governors for an independent institution of higher education, as defined in subsection (a) of § 10a-173, or the equivalent of such a board, on behalf of the independent institution of higher education, (E) cooperative arrangements pursuant to § 10-158a, and (F) any other third-party not-for-profit corporation approved by the Commissioner of Education.

(2) The Commissioner of Administrative Services shall assign each school building project to a category on the basis of whether such project is primarily required to: (A) Create new facilities or alter existing facilities to provide for mandatory instructional programs pursuant to this chapter, for physical education facilities in compliance with Title IX of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1972 where such programs or such compliance cannot be provided within existing facilities or for the correction of code violations which cannot be reasonably addressed within existing program space; (B) create new facilities or alter existing facilities to enhance mandatory instructional programs pursuant to this chapter or provide comparable facilities among schools to all students at the same grade level or levels within the school district unless such project is otherwise explicitly included in another category pursuant to this section; and (C) create new facilities or alter existing facilities to provide supportive services, provided in no event shall such supportive services include swimming pools, auditoriums, outdoor athletic facilities, tennis courts, elementary school playgrounds, site improvement or garages or storage, parking or general recreation areas. All applications submitted prior to July first shall be reviewed promptly by the Commissioner of Administrative Services. The Commissioner of Administrative Services shall estimate the amount of the grant for which such project is eligible, in accordance with the provisions of § 10-285a, provided an application for a school building project determined by the Commissioner of Education to be a project that will assist the state in meeting its obligations pursuant to the decision in Sheff v. O’Neill, 238 Conn. 1 (1996), or any related stipulation or order in effect, as determined by the Commissioner of Education, shall have until September first to submit an application for such a project and may have until December first of the same year to secure and report all local and state approvals required to complete the grant application. The Commissioner of Administrative Services shall annually prepare a listing of all such eligible school building projects listed by category together with the amount of the estimated grants for such projects and shall submit the same to the Governor, the Secretary of the Office of Policy and Management and the General Assembly on or before the fifteenth day of December, except as provided in § 10-283a, with a request for authorization to enter into grant commitments. On or before December thirty-first annually, the Secretary of the Office of Policy and Management may submit comments and recommendations regarding each eligible project on such listing of eligible school building projects to the school construction committee, established pursuant to § 10-283a. Each such listing shall include a report on the following factors for each eligible project: (i) An enrollment projection and the capacity of the school, (ii) a substantiation of the estimated total project costs, (iii) the readiness of such eligible project to begin construction, (iv) efforts made by the local or regional board of education to redistrict, reconfigure, merge or close schools under the jurisdiction of such board prior to submitting an application under this section, (v) enrollment and capacity information for all of the schools under the jurisdiction of such board for the five years prior to application for a school building project grant, (vi) enrollment projections and capacity information for all of the schools under the jurisdiction of such board for the eight years following the date such application is submitted, and (vii) the state’s education priorities relating to reducing racial and economic isolation for the school district. On and after July 1, 2022, each such listing shall include an addendum that contains all grants approved pursuant to subsection (b) of this section during the prior fiscal year. For the period beginning July 1, 2006, and ending June 30, 2012, no project, other than a project for a technical education and career school, may appear on the separate schedule of authorized projects which have changed in cost more than twice. On and after July 1, 2012, no project, other than a project for a technical education and career school, may appear on the separate schedule of authorized projects which have changed in cost more than once, except the Commissioner of Administrative Services may allow a project to appear on such separate schedule of authorized projects a second time if the town or regional school district for such project can demonstrate that exigent circumstances require such project to appear a second time on such separate schedule of authorized projects. Notwithstanding any provision of this chapter, no projects which have changed in scope or cost to the degree determined by the Commissioner of Administrative Services, in consultation with the Commissioner of Education, shall be eligible for reimbursement under this chapter unless it appears on such list. The percentage determined pursuant to § 10-285a at the time a school building project on such schedule was originally authorized shall be used for purposes of the grant for such project. On and after July 1, 2006, a project that was not previously authorized as an interdistrict magnet school shall not receive a higher percentage for reimbursement than that determined pursuant to § 10-285a at the time a school building project on such schedule was originally authorized. The General Assembly shall annually authorize the Commissioner of Administrative Services to enter into grant commitments on behalf of the state in accordance with the commissioner’s categorized listing for such projects as the General Assembly shall determine. The Commissioner of Administrative Services may not enter into any such grant commitments except pursuant to such legislative authorization. Any regional school district which assumes the responsibility for completion of a public school building project shall be eligible for a grant pursuant to subdivision (5) or (6), as the case may be, of subsection (a) of § 10-286 when such project is completed and accepted by such regional school district.

(3) (A) All final calculations completed by the Department of Administrative Services for school building projects shall include a computation of the state grant for the school building project amortized on a straight line basis over a twenty-year period for school building projects with costs equal to or greater than two million dollars and over a ten-year period for school building projects with costs less than two million dollars. Any town or regional school district which abandons, sells, leases, demolishes or otherwise redirects the use of such a school building project to other than a public school use during such amortization period shall refund to the state the unamortized balance of the state grant remaining as of the date the abandonment, sale, lease, demolition or redirection occurs. The amortization period for a project shall begin on the date the project was accepted as complete by the local or regional board of education. A town or regional school district required to make a refund to the state pursuant to this subdivision may request forgiveness of such refund if the building is redirected for public use. The Department of Administrative Services shall include as an addendum to the annual school construction priority list all those towns requesting forgiveness. General Assembly approval of the priority list containing such request shall constitute approval of such request. This subdivision shall not apply to projects to correct safety, health and other code violations or to remedy certified school indoor air quality emergencies approved pursuant to subsection (b) of this section or projects subject to the provisions of § 10-285c.

(B) If the board of governors for an independent institution of higher education, as defined in subsection (a) of § 10a-173, or the equivalent of such a board, on behalf of the independent institution of higher education, that operates an interdistrict magnet school makes private use of any portion of a school building in which such operator received a school building project grant pursuant to this chapter, such operator shall annually submit a report to the Commissioner of Education that demonstrates that such operator provides an equal to or greater than in-kind or supplemental benefit of such institution’s facilities to students enrolled in such interdistrict magnet school that outweighs the private use of such school building. If the commissioner finds that the private use of such school building exceeds the in-kind or supplemental benefit to magnet school students, the commissioner may require such institution to refund to the state the unamortized balance of the state grant.

(C) Any moneys refunded to the state pursuant to subparagraphs (A) and (B) of this subdivision shall be deposited in the state’s tax-exempt proceeds fund and used not later than sixty days after repayment to pay debt service on, including redemption, defeasance or purchase of, outstanding bonds of the state the interest on which is not included in gross income pursuant to Section 103 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, or any subsequent corresponding internal revenue code of the United States, as from time to time amended.

(b) Notwithstanding the application date requirements of this section, at any time within the limit of available grant authorization and within the limit of appropriated funds, the Commissioner of Administrative Services, in consultation with the Commissioner of Education, may approve applications for grants and make payments for such grants, for any of the following reasons: (A) To assist school building projects to remedy damage from fire and catastrophe, (B) to correct safety, health and other code violations, (C) to replace roofs, including the replacement or installation of skylights as part of the roof replacement project, (D) to remedy a certified school indoor air quality emergency, (E) to install insulation for exterior walls and attics, or (F) to purchase and install a limited use and limited access elevator, windows, photovoltaic panels, wind generation systems, building management systems or portable classroom buildings, provided portable classroom building projects shall not create a new facility or cause an existing facility to be modified so that the portable buildings comprise a substantial percentage of the total facility area, as determined by the commissioner.

(c) No school building project shall be added to the list prepared by the Commissioner of Administrative Services pursuant to subsection (a) of this section after such list is submitted to the committee of the General Assembly appointed pursuant to § 10-283a unless (1) the project is for a school placed on probation by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges and the project is necessary to preserve accreditation, (2) the project is necessary to replace a school building for which a state agency issued a written notice of its intent to take the school property for public purpose, (3) it is a school building project determined by the Commissioner of Education to be a project that will assist the state in meeting its obligations pursuant to the decision in Sheff v. O’Neill, 238 Conn. 1 (1996), or any related stipulation or order in effect, as determined by the Commissioner of Education. The provisions of this subsection shall not apply to projects previously authorized by the General Assembly that require special legislation to correct procedural deficiencies.

(d) No school building project shall be added to the list prepared by the Commissioner of Administrative Services pursuant to subsection (a) of this section, unless the applicant, prior to submitting an application, has (1) secured funding authorization for the local share of the project costs and such authorization has become effective pursuant to the general statutes and local ordinance or charter, or (2) scheduled and prepared a referendum, if required, the results of which shall be submitted on or before the fifteenth day of November in the year of application. The reimbursement percentage for a project covered by this subsection shall reflect the rates in effect during the fiscal year in which such local funding authorization is secured.