Lawmakers are calling Pennsylvania to restart its reimbursement program for school construction projects, The Inquirer reported.
They want the state to set aside money not just for new buildings, but also for repairs to the state’s aging schools. A recently-released legislative committee’s report also calls for targeting money to projects designed to enhance school safety in the wake of shootings in Parkland, FL and elsewhere, according to the publication.
The reimbursement program, known as PlanCon, has stalled in recent years. The PlanCon advisory committee released and adopted recommendations, called for streamlining the reimbursement process and creating a carveout for schools to make needed repairs, according to WPSU.
The recommendations, which have yet to be introduced as a bill, focused on a few key areas. Lawmakers want to simplify the application process for districts seeking reimbursements for capital projects. They want to incentivize districts to build more energy efficient buildings. And they want to make the reimbursement rate more rational and predictable, tying it to a formula that accounts for things like district wealth, WPSU said in a news report.
