Each school district which desires an apportionment for a grade level maintained by it, shall submit through its governing board to the board an application therefor in any form and number of copies that the board shall prescribe. Each copy of the application shall be accompanied by a statement of the estimated cost of the project certified by an architect or structural engineer, and by layout plans showing the entire project for which the district desires an apportionment. Estimates of cost for new construction appearing in an application shall not exceed typical current costs of comparable new construction by school districts in the same area not receiving or not eligible for apportionment under this chapter, as determined by the Director of General Services, or if there has been no new construction by districts in the area, the estimates of cost shall not exceed the reasonable current cost of similar construction in the area as determined by the Director of General Services. Immediately upon receipt of an application in the prescribed form accompanied by the required estimate of cost, a copy thereof shall be transmitted by the board to the director and to the Director of General Services.

A district may at any time amend or supplement its application.

The Director of General Services shall determine the school district’s financial ability to meet all or a portion of the cost of the project and the amount which the district can contribute toward the cost of the project out of its available funds, and shall submit his report thereon to the board.

The directors shall as promptly as possible prepare a report and recommendation with respect to the application and refer the application, report, and recommendation to the Director of General Services, who shall, if he or she finds the documents to be in proper form and otherwise sufficient, refer them to the board. If the Director of General Services finds the documents to be lacking in any respect as to any matter which is subject to the jurisdiction or approval of the director or State Department of Education, he or she shall refer them to the director who shall take any action that may be necessary. The board shall, subject to the provisions of this chapter approve or reject each application referred to it by the Director of General Services. If the board approves of the application, either in whole or in part, it shall, by a resolution adopted by it, apportion to the district from the Public School Building Loan Fund the amount applied for, or any portion thereof that the board may deem appropriate. However, it may order that the apportionment or any part thereof shall be paid in progressive installments at the times and under the conditions that it may then prescribe. This shall be known as a conditional apportionment and shall become final only if the vote provided for in Section 15721 is favorable and if bonds are authorized and sold in the amounts prescribed by the board, and the proceeds of the bonds sold earmarked for the project as approved. The conditional apportionment shall remain effective for a period of nine months from the date of the resolution of the board, and if it does not become a final apportionment by the date, it shall become void and the money so apportioned shall become again available for apportionment pursuant to this chapter.

The board may for any good cause that it shall determine, reduce the amount of, or modify any provisions relating to, any contribution required of a district under the terms of an apportionment, other than any contribution required of the district under Section 15721 from the sale of bonds. However, the board may not, without the consent of the district, increase the amount of any district contribution under the terms of an apportionment, in the absence of mistake arising from any source, or misrepresentation, concealment, or omission, on the part of the district, intentional or otherwise. The provisions of this paragraph shall be applicable to apportionments heretofore or hereafter made.

(Repealed and added by Stats. 1996, Ch. 277, Sec. 2. Effective January 1, 1997. Operative January 1, 1998.)