281—100.3 (78GA,ch1174) Application process.
	 100.3(1) Application period. School districts may submit applications for approval for financial assistance under the program between 8 a.m.	and 4:30 p.m.	on working days during the following application periods.
	  a.   	 For the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2000, applications may be submitted to the department on or after November 1, 2000, and hand-delivered or postmarked not later than March 1, 2001.
	  b.   	 For the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2001, and every fiscal year thereafter in which funding is appropriated, applications may be submitted to the department on or after July 1 and hand-delivered or postmarked not later than October 31.
	 100.3(2) Application form. The department shall provide an application form. The application form shall be made available to Iowa public school districts at least 15 days prior to the beginning of the application period. Each applicant school district shall use the form prepared for this purpose and in the manner prescribed by the department. A school district may submit only one application during an application period. The application form shall include, but shall not be limited to, the following information:
	  a.   	 The total capital investment of the project. If the project is in collaboration with other public or private entities, the total capital investment for purposes of this program shall be limited to the school district’s portion of the project. The school district shall include the following information:
	 (1) 	 Identification of the collaborating public or private entities;
	 (2) 	 Total cost of the collaborative project; and
	 (3) 	 Total capital investment of the school district’s portion of the project.
	  b.   	 The amount, source, and percentage of money that the school district will be providing for the project, which shall not include any other state or federal funding. Only funds in the physical plant and equipment levy fund or capital project funds can be used toward the local match requirement. If the project is in collaboration with other public or private entities, the state, federal, or private funds received by the other entities cannot be used toward the local match requirement.
	  c.   	 The infrastructure needs of the school district specific to the project, especially the fire and health safety needs, including the extent to which the project would allow the school district to meet its infrastructure needs on a long-term basis. If the school district’s needs include fire and health safety needs, the school district shall attach to its application form a copy of the citation by the fire marshal for the safety deficiency or evidence of consultation with the fire marshal related to the safety deficiency.
	  d.   	 The financial assistance needed by the school district based upon the capacity per pupil. The capacity per pupil for each school district will be calculated by the department, and this information will be made available to the applicants.
	  e.   	 Any previous efforts within the past five years, successful or unsuccessful, by the school district to secure infrastructure funding from federal, state, and local resources. If the previous effort includes a bond issue or a voter-approved physical plant and equipment levy, the school district shall include a copy of the ballot with the application. If the previous effort includes a regular physical plant and equipment levy, the school district shall include a statement to that effect.
	  f.   	 Evidence that the school district meets or will meet the local match requirement. The local match requirement for each school district will be calculated by the department, and this information will be made available to the applicants. The local match requirement shall be met not later than nine months from the date of notification of conditional approval from the department. The local match for any other grant program shall not be the same money used as the local match for this grant program.
	  g.   	 A description of the nature of the project and its relationship to improving educational opportunities for students including the school district’s ability to meet or exceed the educational standards and a list of waivers applied for and granted to the school district excluding early school starting date waivers granted under Iowa Code section 279.10, subsection 4.
	  h.   	 Evidence that the school district receives local option sales and services tax for school infrastructure under Iowa Code chapter 422E or local option sales and services tax under Iowa Code chapter 422B.
	  i.   	 A statement identifying the final year of the bonded indebtedness or the final year of the levy or tax if the school district currently has bonded indebtedness, the voter-approved physical plant and equipment levy, or the local option sales and services tax for school infrastructure. The school district shall describe its expenditures from any bond issue, voter-approved physical plant and equipment levy, regular plant and equipment levy, or local option sales and services tax for school infrastructure which it has in place at the time of the application and list any obligations against those current balances and future revenues.
	  j.   	 A comprehensive, districtwide infrastructure plan if the school district has an infrastructure plan. The school district shall include the date that the plan was adopted by the board, an executive summary of the plan, and a description of how the project fits within the infrastructure plan.
	  k.   	 A five-year history of infrastructure maintenance and repair.
	  l.   	 A budget and timeline for the project. If the local match requirement has not been met at the time of the application, the school district shall include in the timeline a schedule of the steps in its plan to obtain the local match.
	  m.   	 Evidence that the school district has entered into an innovative collaboration with another school district or school districts, has reorganized pursuant to Iowa Code chapter 275 on or after July 1, 2000, or has initiated a resolution to reorganize by July 1, 2004.
	  n.   	 A statement certifying the accuracy of the information contained in the application.
	 100.3(3) Board minutes. A school district shall submit with its application for financial assistance under the program a copy of the minutes of the board of director’s meeting showing that the board has authorized the application and the project and has made a commitment to the source and amount for the local match. The section of the board minutes containing this information shall be marked in such a way as to make it easily identifiable.
	 100.3(4) Number of copies. A school district shall submit with its application for financial assistance under the program three complete sets of the application forms and board minutes with original signatures on all application forms.
	 100.3(5) Number of grant awards possible. A school district shall not receive more than one grant under the program.
	 100.3(6) Reapplication. An applicant that is not successful in obtaining financial assistance under the program may apply for financial assistance under the program in succeeding fiscal years.
	 100.3(7) Maximum request for financial assistance. The maximum amount of financial assistance under the program that can be requested by a school district is the lesser of:
	  a.   	 One million dollars, or
	  b.   	 The total capital investment of the project minus the local match requirement.
	 100.3(8) Project timeline. The project shall be completed not later than three fiscal years from the date on which the grant is approved.
	 100.3(9) Project restrictions. Special restrictions apply to certain projects.
	  a.   	 If the project is in collaboration with other public or private entities, the school district is eligible to apply only for the school district’s portion of the project. The school district must own or retain ownership of the infrastructure for which the application is submitted. This restriction does not preclude shared facility use. State, federal, or private funds received by the other entities cannot be used toward the local match requirement. The application for one school district shall not be contingent upon one or more other school districts receiving an award under this program.
	  b.   	 A school district may submit an application for a project that includes activities at more than one attendance center. However, if the activities are related to new construction, the project shall only relate to one attendance center. New construction for purposes of this subrule means a separate, new attendance center.
	  c.   	 A school district receiving financial assistance under the vision Iowa program pursuant to a joint application submitted under Iowa Code section 15F.302, subsection 3, shall not be eligible to receive financial assistance under the program.
	  d.   	 A school district that has a local option sales and services tax for school infrastructure imposed at the maximum rate and has local option sales and services tax for school infrastructure revenue per pupil of more than the statewide average of local option sales and services tax capacity per pupil shall not be eligible for financial assistance under the program.
	  e.   	 All projects must be consistent with the provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Section 504, and Iowa Code chapter 104A.