Ohio School Facilities Commission Other Programs

Corrective Action Program

The Corrective Action program is used to correct or remediate work found to be defective in or omitted from a facility constructed with OSFC assistance. In order to be eligible for the program, a school district must notify the Executive Director of the Commission within five years of the occupancy of the affected project.

The Commission evaluates the defective or omitted work and determines a scope of work to be funded portionally through state and local funding.  The Commission also assesses responsibility for the defective or omitted work and seeks cost recovery, if applicable, from the responsible parties. Any funds recovered are to be credited first to school district in the amount of its share of the remedial work, and then to the Commission.


Emergency Assistance Program

The Emergency Assistance Program provides assistance to districts that experience damage resulting from "acts of God." Funding from the program supplements actual cost of repairs and renovations as well as monies received from insurance and other state or private assistance.

Emergency Assistance Program Guidelines

Emergency Assistance Program Application

 


Facilities Assessment Program
Through the Facilities Assessment program, school districts have the opportunity to request that OSFC assess the facility needs of the district prior to their eligibility for state assistance. OSFC provides an on-site evaluation, enrollment projections and an initial master plan with an estimate of project cost. The information provided does not constitute any agreement to proceed with a project.
 
 

Hardship Loan Program

OSFC can advance funds for a period of up to ten years for qualifying school districts participating in the Classroom Facilities Assistance Program (CFAP) and the Exceptional Needs Program (ENP). The advances are limited to projects experiencing an unanticipated increase in the total project cost when the payment of which would result in “undue hardship” for the School District. Qualifying expenditures must be the result of additional costs to the School District to correct conditions resulting from the discovery of oversights or deficiencies in the initial assessment or plan and the necessary additional remodeling and/or additions, or changes in project infrastructure.

Hardship Loan Guidelines

Hardship Loan Application

 


STEM Public Schools

House Bill 153 of the 129th General Assembly authorized the Commission to provide funding to assist STEM schools. STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. STEM schools not governed by a single school district board of education may apply for assistance in constructing, reconstructing, repairing, or making additions to classroom facilities. The STEM school must secure at least 50 percent of the total cost from non-state sources. In general, Vocational Facilities Assistance Program policies and procedures apply to STEM school facilities unless otherwise provided in law or waived by the Commission.

STEM School Guidelines

STEM School Application

 


Qualified School Construction Bonds
Qualified School Construction Bonds (QSCB) were authorized by the federal government through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009.  The bonds provided federal tax credits for bond holders in lieu of interest in order to significantly reduce an issuer’s cost of borrowing.  The ARRA provided for an allocation to each state, along with separate allocations for large school districts. The State of Ohio distributed all of the State’s QSCB allocations to local school districts.  The Commission administered the QSCB program on behalf of the State of Ohio.
 
Authorization for this program has ended and there are no new allocations.