Current through Register Vol. XLI, No. 50, December 13, 2024
Section 164-7-3 - School Access Safety Grants - Awarding of Funds3.1. Each county board who has an approved School Access Safety Plan and meets all the eligibility requirements of the School Access Safety Act established in W. Va. Code § 18-9F-1 et al., will qualify for School Access funds.3.2. The School Building Authority will initially review the list of projects within the plan for compliance with the School Access Safety Act and based upon the availability of funding will annually review projects from within the plan for funding consideration.3.3. School Access Safety Grant projects must be included in the county's School Access Safety Plan and must be a part of an approved comprehensive educational facilities plan (CEFP) or must be amended into the CEFP to be eligible for funding.3.4. School Access Safety funding provided by the School Building Authority must be expended within one year. The School Building Authority may grant a six-month extension of funding, if it is determined by the Authority that extenuating circumstances prevented the county from expending the funds within the one-year period. Once expired by the School Building Authority, remaining funds shall be added to the total funds available to all counties in the School Access Safety Fund and distributed in future funding cycles.3.5. A local contribution in an amount equal to or exceeding 15% of the funding available to the county is required in order to secure School Access Safety funds. If a county board feels that it cannot fulfill the 15% local match as required, the county board of education may submit a financial hardship waiver request to the Department of Education for review and consideration. Once reviewed, the Department of Education will advise the School Building Authority of the disposition of the request prior to the award of funding.