PRINTER'S NO. 1465
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
HOUSE BILL
No.
1228
Session of
2019
INTRODUCED BY GILLESPIE, MILLARD, TOOHIL AND ZIMMERMAN,
APRIL 17, 2019
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION, APRIL 17, 2019
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 of Education may exempt a school entity
from participating in the program for a particular project, if
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the 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 of Education 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 of Education 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 of Education 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 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 chairperson and minority chairperson of the Education
Committee of the Senate and the chairperson and minority
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chairperson 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 the provisions of this act.
Section 2. This act shall take effect in 180 days.
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