School Building Authority accepting Statements of Interest for 2017

On Jan. 6, the Massachusetts School Building Authority will begin accepting Statements of Interest for consideration in calendar 2017.
 
Submitting an SOI is the first step in the MSBA’s program for school building construction, addition/renovation, and repair grants. It allows districts to inform the authority about deficiencies that may exist in a local school facility and how those deficiencies inhibit the delivery of the district’s educational program.
 
Feb. 17 is the SOI closing date for districts submitting for consideration under the Accelerated Repair Program, primarily for the repair and/or replacement of roofs, windows/doors, and/or boilers in an otherwise structurally sound facility.
 
April 7 the SOI closing date for districts submitting for consideration under the CORE Program, which is primarily for projects beyond the scope of the ARP, including extensive repairs, renovations, addition/renovations, and new school construction.
 
The MSBA is continuing the process in place for the last two years, through which districts will be able to assign their own district user access to the MSBA’s SOI System. Superintendents will be asked to complete a District Access Form, which is available on the MSBA’s website. Once the access form is completed and sent to the MSBA, the superintendent will then be able to log into the SOI System and authorize district users to access the system as deemed necessary for submitting an SOI. Instructions for the superintendent to become the district user manager are included in the District Access Form, as are the instructions on next steps.
 
Submitting an SOI should not be difficult, according to the MSBA, and districts do not need to seek professional assistance to complete an SOI. The process of submitting an SOI will, however, require dedicated time from the district to comply with the submission requirements, especially the local vote requirements.
 
The MSBA recommends that districts plan ahead and allocate sufficient time to answer the questions posed in the SOI, compile the requested material and information, secure the appropriate signatures, and take the required local votes.
 
For all SOI submissions, the district will need to provide:
 
1. A hard copy of the SOI with the required signatures (there are two separate certifications for each SOI where district officials will need to sign)
 
2. A hard copy of the Closed Schools information with the required signatures
 
3. Hard copies of the required local vote documentation that is detailed in the SOI
 
4. Any supporting materials that are required to be submitted with the SOI
 
The MSBA urges districts to schedule the necessary votes as soon as possible in order to meet the deadlines for ARP and CORE Program SOI submissions.
 
For more information, visit the MSBA’s SOI website or download the following:
 
• Core Program Statement of Interest Overview (36K PDF)
 
• Accelerated Repair Program Statement of Interest Overview (38K PDF)