The State may be getting close to ending a school building aid moratorium.
Both the House and Senate have approved measures to restructure how aid is distributed. That’s good news for both schools districts and taxpayers.
“We need a change that will be both affordable for the State, as well as provide the necessary assistance to communities to keep their schools in good condition,” says Ed Murdough with the Department of Education.
Both bills call for the State to rank projects. Unsafe, overcrowded schools would get priority.
“It’s a much more sensible way to do it, than we did in the past,” says Senator James Forsythe. “It says we are going to prioritize. We’re going to work down from the top of a list.”
But before that list can be created, the two chambers will need to resolve one major difference. The House wants to cap school aid at $50-million.The Senate’s version doesn’t include a cap.
The Department of Education pegs current building aid obligations at around $45-millon.
