(A) As used in this section:

(1) "Acquisition of classroom facilities" has the same meaning as in section 3318.40 of the Revised Code.

(2) "Classroom facilities" has the same meaning as in section 3318.01 of the Revised Code.

(3) "Qualifying partnership" means a group of city, exempted village, or local school districts that are part of a career-technical education compact and have entered into an agreement for joint or cooperative establishment and operation of a science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education program under section 3313.842 of the Revised Code. The aggregate territory of the school districts composing a qualifying partnership shall be located in two adjacent counties, each having a population greater than forty thousand, but less than fifty thousand, and at least one of which borders another state.

(B) The Ohio facilities construction commission shall establish guidelines for assisting a qualifying partnership in the acquisition of classroom facilities to be used for a joint science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education program.

(C) Upon receipt of a written proposal from a qualifying partnership, the commission, subject to approval of the controlling board, shall provide funding to assist that qualifying partnership in the acquisition of classroom facilities described in division (B) of this section. The proposal of the qualifying partnership shall be submitted in a form and in the manner prescribed by the commission. The proposal shall indicate both the total amount of funding requested from the commission and the amount of other funding pledged for the acquisition of the classroom facilities, the latter of which shall not be less than the total amount of funding requested from the commission. Once the commission determines a proposal meets its established guidelines, and if the controlling board approves that funding, the commission shall enter into an agreement with the qualifying partnership for the acquisition of the classroom facilities and shall encumber, in accordance with section 3318.11 of the Revised Code, the approved funding from the amounts appropriated to the commission for classroom facilities assistance projects. The agreement shall include a stipulation of the ownership of the classroom facilities in the event the qualifying partnership ceases to exist.

(D) A qualifying partnership may levy taxes and issue bonds under section 5705.2112 or 5705.2113 of the Revised Code to use for all or part of the funding pledged for the acquisition of classroom facilities under division (C) of this section. If a qualifying partnership chooses to levy taxes or issue bonds for this purpose, it shall select one of the districts that is a member of the qualifying partnership to be the fiscal agent of the qualifying partnership for purposes of those sections.

Amended by 132nd General Assembly File No. TBD, HB 49, §101.01, eff. 9/29/2017.

Amended by 131st General Assembly File No. TBD, HB 340, §101.01, eff. 12/22/2015.

Amended by 131st General Assembly File No. TBD, HB 64, §101.01, eff. 9/29/2015.