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HomeEducation CodeCh. 4Art. 1§ 15712 Unspent School Project Funds

§ 15712 Unspent School Project Funds

Education Code·California
AI Summary·Official Text·Key Terms·Related Statutes·References
AI SummaryVerified

§ 15712 Unspent School Project Funds

This law says that if a school district still has money left over for a project after one year, it can’t spend that money unless it follows a special process that includes notifying the board, getting a state review, and possibly returning any extra money to the state.

Key Takeaways

  • •Unused project money after one year can’t be spent without a state review.
  • •The district must notify its board and request the State Department of Education to look at the project.
  • •If the project now needs less money, any excess must be returned to the state and cannot be used for other purposes.
  • •The board cannot increase the amount of money originally given to the district.

Example

A district received $500,000 to build a new gym. After one year, $100,000 of that money is still unused.

The district must tell its board it wants to use the leftover money, ask the State Department of Education to review the gym project, and if the state says the gym now costs less, the district must adjust the plan and send the extra $100,000 back to the state instead of spending it on something else.

AI-generated — May contain errors. Not legal advice. Always verify source.

Official Source
View on CA.gov

§ 15712 Unspent School Project Funds

Funds apportioned to a school district under this chapter for a project, remaining unencumbered or unexpended one year from the date the application of the district for the apportionment was approved, shall not be encumbered or expended except as provided in this section. The governing board of the district shall notify the board of its desire to encumber or expend the funds. The board shall immediately request the State Department of Education to, and the department shall, review the project for which apportionment was made. If the State Department of Education finds that the conditions existing at the time it approved the project for which the apportionment was made have so changed that the needs of the district are less than originally determined, it shall notify the board of its findings and of the respects in which the project should accordingly be modified. The board shall review the project and revise the project in any manner that it deems necessary, subject to the provisions of Section 15727, and make any changes in the purposes for which the apportionment may be expended that it deems necessary. The cost of the project as revised by the board shall be computed in the manner prescribed by Section 15713 and the excess, if any, of the amount theretofore apportioned to the district over the computed cost of the revised project shall be deducted by the board from the apportionment made to the district. The board shall give notice of its action, in writing, to the Controller, the governing board of the district, and the county auditor and the county treasurer having jurisdiction over the public school building fund of the district. If the amount of the excess, or any portion thereof, has not been paid to the district, the excess, or portion thereof, shall be made available for apportionment to other districts. If the excess, or portion thereof, has been paid to the district, it shall not be encumbered or expended by the district and shall become due and payable to the State of California. The governing board of the district and the county treasurer shall pay that amount to the Treasurer, out of the funds, and in the manner specified in Section 15752. The payment shall, on order of the Controller, be deposited in the Public School Building Loan Fund in the State Treasury. It shall be the duty of the governing body and county treasurer to make the payments to the Treasurer as provided in this section, and it shall be the duty of the Controller to enforce the collection on behalf of the state. This section does not authorize the board to increase any apportionment made to a district. (Repealed and added by Stats. 1996, Ch. 277, Sec. 2. Effective January 1, 1997. Operative January 1, 1998.)

Last verified: January 10, 2026

Key Terms

unencumbered or unexpendedState Department of Educationexcess fundsapportionment

Related Statutes

  • § 15719 School Construction Space Limits
  • § 15727 School Building Construction Requirements
  • § 16022 Unspent School Project Funds
  • § 15706 School Building Loan Funds
  • § 15713 School District Funding Applications

References

  • Official text at leginfo.legislature.ca.gov
  • California Legislature. Education Code. Section 15712.
View Official Source