School Building Authority accepting emergency SOIs for roofs

The Massachusetts School Building Authority is reminding school districts – particularly those whose facilities have been compromised by heavy snow – that the process for filing emergency Statements of Interest (SOIs) is an option.

An emergency SOI allows districts to begin the process of working with the MSBA toward potential funding in certain unexpected situations, such as to repair or replace a roof that has suffered structural damage due to this winter’s snow.

“This emergency SOI is aimed at school districts that are in immediate need of help,” said Treasurer Steven Grossman. “Working together with the MSBA, impacted school districts will be able to leverage their ability to find the best solutions to keeping their schools and students safe.”

Katherine Craven, the executive director of the MSBA, said the agency is “ready and able to receive emergency SOIs and assist communities that have suffered structural failures due to the heavy snow.”

Submitting an SOI is the critical first step in the MSBA’s program for school building construction and renovation grants, according to the agency. The grant program is a non-entitlement, competitive program, and grants are distributed by the MSBA Board of Directors based on need and urgency, as expressed by the community and validated by the MSBA.

Once a completed SOI is submitted, the MSBA will work with districts to verify the problem identified by the district for their selected priority SOI submission and to determine the appropriate level of due diligence that may be required by the MSBA. If the district’s identified problem is verified by the MSBA, the district and the MSBA will work collaboratively to determine potential solutions that are “educationally sound and fiscally appropriate and that fit within the MSBA’s capital funding pipeline,” according to the agency.

“Submitting an SOI is not an invitation into the MSBA’s capital pipeline, it is the first step in the MSBA’s program and moving forward in the MSBA’s process requires further collaboration between the district and the MSBA,” the agency said in a statement.

For more information, visit www.massschoolbuildings.org.

• Download the regulations for the School Building Authority’s emergency statement of interest process (32K PDF)