SECTIONS 16260-16272 - California Statutes

EDUCATION CODE

SECTION 16260-16272

16260. This article shall be known as the Children's Center
Construction Law of 1968.

16261. The Legislature hereby declares that it is in the interest
of the state and of the people thereof for the state to provide
assistance to school districts and to county superintendents of
schools for the construction of children's center facilities.
Children's centers are of general concern and interest to all the
people of the state, and the education and care of children of
working parents are a joint obligation of both the state and local
agencies operating children's centers.
In enacting this article, the Legislature considers that the
greatest need is to provide children's center facilities for the
education and care of children during the time the sole parent is at
work making the family economically self-sufficient, or is in school
or in training to gain economic self-responsibility. The Legislature
recognizes the need to encourage the provision of additional children'
s center facilities to permit more families to become economically
self-sufficient.

16262. The following terms, whether used or referred to in this
article, have the following meanings, unless a different meaning
clearly appears from the context:
(a) "Local agency" means a school district or a county
superintendent of schools operating or authorized to operate a
children's center pursuant to this chapter.
(b) "Board" means the State Allocation Board.
(c) "Project" means the purposes for which a local agency has
applied for assistance. A project may include the acquisition and
improvement of sites, the planning and construction of permanent
facilities, and the acquisition of equipment for children's centers.
(d) "Construction of facilities" means construction of permanent
facilities which may include leased portable buildings.

16263. This article shall be administered by the State Allocation
Board. The board shall adopt any rules and regulations that it deems
necessary to carry out the purposes of this article. The rules and
regulations of the board shall establish a system of priorities to
determine the relative necessity to establish children's center
facilities by a local agency. In establishing priorities with regard
to the outlay of capital funds for the construction of new children's
centers, or with regard to the rental or leasing of facilities for
new centers, the board shall give special consideration to school
districts as described under subdivision (a) of Section 54425 which
are also certified by the State Department of Health as containing
substantial numbers of families who are recipients of aid to families
with dependent children or who are former or potential recipients of
the aid and who might reasonably be expected to improve their
ability to be self-supporting if child care services are made
available. The Department of Benefit Payments shall provide the State
Department of Health with any information in its possession
necessary for the administration of this section.

16264. No local agency shall receive an initial allocation from any
appropriation made for the purposes of this article more than an
amount to be known as the local agency entitlement. This amount shall
be computed as follows:
(a) Determine the percentage that the amount apportioned to the
local agency in the previous fiscal year for operation purposes
pursuant to Section 8380, as amended by Section __ of Chapter ___ of
the Statutes of ____, bears to the total amount allocated to all
local agencies under the same section.
(b) Determine the percentage that the statewide modified assessed
valuation per average daily attendance for the grade level involved
in the previous fiscal year bears to the assessed valuation per unit
of average daily attendance of the local agency. Local agencies other
than school districts shall use a percentage of 1.00.
(c) Determine the local agency eligibility factor by multiplying
the percentage derived in (a) by that derived in (b).
(d) Determine the local agency entitlement by multiplying the
district eligibility factor derived in (c) by the amount appropriated
for this purpose.
Amounts of the appropriation initially unallocated may be
allocated subsequently without regard to the limitation of the local
agency entitlement. Amounts of local agency entitlement not applied
for within 90 days of the notification of entitlement, and amounts
approved pursuant to Section 16268 but not allocated pursuant to
Section 16269, and not made available on an extended basis after one
year from the date of the original approval, may also be allocated
without regard to the limitation of local agency entitlement.

16265. Any local agency operating or authorized to operate a
children's center may apply for assistance under this article to
undertake one or more projects. Any local agency not operating a
children's center in the prior fiscal year shall have its eligibility
and other factors determined by a method similar to that in Section
16264. Reasonable estimates may be used.

16266. Applications for assistance under this article shall be made
on forms prescribed and furnished by the board. The applications
shall include, but not be limited to, all of the following data and
information:
(a) An outline and general description of the project to be
undertaken.
(b) An estimate of the cost of the project to be undertaken and
the anticipated source of funds to complete the project.
(c) The estimated number of children to be served by the project.
(d) The waiting list of the local agency for children's centers.
(e) The amount expended by the local agency from local sources
during the past five years for the provision of children's center
facilities.

16267. Not more than 25 percent of any funds available under this
article for allocation to local agencies under this article shall be
allocated for the reconstruction or rehabilitation of existing
children's center facilities. Not less than 75 percent of the funds
shall be allocated for the planning and construction of new permanent
facilities, including acquisition and improvement of sites and
acquisition of equipment for the facilities.

16268. The board shall notify a local agency when a preliminary
approval of project has been given, and shall reserve from the
appropriation made a sum in the amount of the approval given.

16269. Funds allocated for a project shall be disbursed to the
local agency upon certification to the Controller when the executive
officer of the board has determined both of the following:
(a) All required approvals of the projects have been granted.
(b) The local agency has subsequent to the effective date of this
section, committed the expenditure through the granting of a contract
or the authorization of an agreement which requires the payment of
funds.

16270. In administering this article, the board shall approve the
application. The executive officer of the board shall (a) prescribe
and furnish application forms and (b) certify to the Controller the
allocation of funds to which a local agency is eligible.

16271. All sites, plans, and specifications of the proposed
facilities shall be approved by the State Department of Education.
Prior to the approval, the local agency shall certify to the State
Department of Education the unavailability of adequate, alternate
facilities in the area to be served by the proposed facilities. The
facilities shall include but not be limited to vacant classrooms,
auditoriums, multipurpose rooms, church or recreation facilities.

16272. For each one dollar ($1) of money allocated to a local
agency which is expended for a project, the local agency shall expend
local funds for the project in an amount which bears the same
percentage to the one dollar ($1) as the modified assessed valuation
per unit of the average daily attendance of the local agency bears to
the statewide modified assessed valuation per average daily
attendance of all local agencies. Local agencies other than school
districts shall use a percentage of 1.00.