K-12 School Treasurer Newsletter Winter 2024 Edition

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Message From the Chief of Finance Happy New Year and welcome to the latest edition of our K-12 Newsletter! Our quarterly newsletters provide a range of informative content that reflects our commitment to keeping schools well-informed and supported. In this issue we will provide you with insight into the status of school district projects and some of the reasons why there can be roadblocks, new resources for every treasurer, and where you can find them, announcements of new programs, and more. If you have a topic for a future issue, please share them with us at k12finance@ofcc.ohio.gov.

CareerTech Construction Grant Money Goes to Ohio Schools

As the new year begins, Ohio schools are starting to receive their Career Technical Construction Grant funds. Last year, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine partnered with the Ohio General Assembly to launch the $200 million Career Technical Construction Program. The Program aims to boost capacity at career tech institutions by granting funds to eligible vocational school districts for facility construction or expansion.

Of the 59 applicants for the Career Technical Construction Program, 35 were awarded almost $200 million. This funding will be used to build and expand classrooms and training centers at Joint Vocational School Districts (JVSDs), compacts. and comprehensives across Ohio in various programs like engineering, manufacturing, health sciences, construction and more.

We recently held a webinar on the OFCC Career Tech Construction Grant program that is now available on the OFCC website.

Here is the  PowerPoint Presentation and the video webinar recording.

Project Updates and Closeout Status As we start the new year, we reflect on how 2023 was a great success, as we closed 41 school district projects. We also are actively working to close out another 36 school district projects. We thrive to close project in a timely manner, but roadblocks can cause delays.

Roadblocks include:

• Post construction issues such as defects that surface after occupancy. Ex: recurring roof leaks, premature equipment failure, or difficulty with heating and cooling;
• Unpaid retainage;
• Lack of agreement on which expenses can be covered with Project Funds;
• Lack of availability from school districts.

What is a Maintenance Plan?

The facility maintenance plan should include the following information:

• A brief description of the building with components;
• Current operations and maintenance budget analysis;
• Complete maintenance budget including initial, annual, and long-term expenditures (year-by-year revenue and expense projection over 23 years);
• A maintenance schedule for every major facility component;
• A list of products, equipment, and other resources needed for each activity;
• Staff requirements and training needs;
• Methods for documenting the maintenance performed;
• A list of contacts for the district to call for each building component (warranty vs. service contracts);
• Recommendations to improve operational and maintenance services.

Treasurer Resources Page The OFCC has created the Treasurer Resources page on its website to provide valuable information to guide you during your construction project.  We continue to update this page with helpful information. In the past couple of months we added: FY24 District Equity List, Chart of Accounts, Eligible and Non-Eligible Uses of Project Funds, and the OFCC/Auditor of State (AOS) Treasurer Compliance Training Video.