PRINTER'S NO. 986
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
HOUSE BILL
No.
597
Session of
2015
INTRODUCED BY GILLESPIE, DIAMOND, TALLMAN, MENTZER, LAWRENCE,
ZIMMERMAN, BENNINGHOFF AND MURT, MARCH 24, 2015
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION, MARCH 24, 2015
AN ACT
Amending the act of March 10, 1949 (P.L.30, No.14), entitled "An
act relating to the public school system, including certain
provisions applicable as well to private and parochial
schools; amending, revising, consolidating and changing the
laws relating thereto," in grounds and buildings, providing
for a prototypical school facility design clearinghouse.
The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
hereby enacts as follows:
Section 1. The act of March 10, 1949 (P.L.30, No.14), known
as the Public School Code of 1949, is amended by adding a
section to read:
Section 732.2. Prototypical School Facility Design
Clearinghouse.--(a) (1) The Department of Education shall
establish a central clearinghouse of prototypical school
facility designs for access by school entities.
(2) In order to receive the State reimbursement factor
provided for in section 2574, a school entity must use a
prototype design in the construction of school facilities.
(3) The department may exempt a school entity from
participating in the program for a particular project, if the
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school entity demonstrates that:
(i) the designs in the clearinghouse are not feasible for
that particular project due to specific geographic or other
limitations of that area; or
(ii) the project involves remodeling, rehabilitating or
expanding an existing structure.
The department shall provide notice to a school entity that is
exempt from using a design in the clearinghouse under this
paragraph. The notice shall also be made available to the public
by the school entity.
(4) The Department of Education shall compile necessary
publications and a computer database to make the information on
prototype designs available for review to school entities and
the public at large.
(5) For purposes of this section, the Department of
Education shall divide this Commonwealth into the following
regions: northwest, northeast, southeast, southwest, north
central and south central. The department shall designate which
counties are in which region by grouping counties together based
on geographic proximity.
(b) Design professionals registered in this Commonwealth may
submit plans for inclusion in the computer database that have
been submitted and approved by the Department of Education in
accordance with section 731. The original design professional of
record shall retain ownership of a prototype design.
Prototypical school facility designs submitted shall include
information that the Department of Education determines is
necessary and appropriate to facilitate this section.
(c) The Department of Education shall review and evaluate
plans submitted pursuant to this section for inclusion in the
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clearinghouse using standards which promote the following:
(1) The use of design principles to achieve the highest
standards of health, safety, accessibility, environmental
protection and energy efficiency.
(2) The academic and technological needs of students.
(3) The use of cost-effective design and construction
techniques, including the use of straight-line, right-angle
design principles and avoiding the use of curved and
nonsymmetrical design.
(4) The use of design principles that allow for expansion of
school facilities to accommodate future growth in student
population.
(5) The use of durable materials in construction.
(6) The preservation of open space.
(d) The department shall group the designs accepted for the
clearinghouse by the regions established under subsection (a)
(5), based on energy needs for heating and cooling, building
size, average school entity population in the region, layout of
the building, whether one story or multiple stories, and
structural requirements due to climatic or geographic
difficulties.
(e) The Legislative Budget and Finance Committee shall
conduct a study of the department's program to determine the
savings incurred by school entities that have participated in
the program. The study shall be conducted at the conclusion of
the fifth year of operation and shall include program
participation for the five-year period from inspection until its
fifth anniversary. The study shall be presented within six
months of its commencement to the chairman and minority chairman
of the Education Committee of the Senate and the chairman and
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minority chairman of the Education Committee of the House of
Representatives.
(f) The Department of Education shall adopt rules necessary
to implement this section.
(g) As used in this section, the term "school entity" means
a school district, intermediate unit, area vocational-technical
school or charter school operating within this Commonwealth
under provisions of this act.
Section 2. This act shall take effect in 180 days.
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