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Legislative Analyst's OfficeAnalysis of the 2001-02 Budget Bill |
The Department of Education operates three schools for students with exceptional needs: two schools for the deaf located in Riverside and Fremont, and one school for the blind, located in Fremont. The budget includes requests totaling $2.6 million from the General Fund for capital improvements to the existing schools. This represents a decrease of $5.2 million from the current year. The budget includes the following proposals:
Below we raise an issue with Fremont School for the Deaf project. We recommend the Legislature approve the balance of projects as requested.
We recommend the Legislature delete $2.1 million for construction of the Pupil Personnel Services facility at the Fremont School for the Deaf because (1) preliminary plans are not complete and (2) the funds will not be needed in the budget year. (Delete $2.1 million under Item 6110-301-0001 [2].)
The budget proposes $2.1 million from the General Fund for construction of the Pupil Personnel Services facility at the Fremont School for the Deaf. The 2000-01 Budget Act included a total of $257,000 for preliminary plans and working drawings for the project. At the time those funds were appropriated, the working drawings were scheduled to be complete in October 2001. The Department of General Services now reports the working drawings will not be complete until April 2002. Consequently, funds for construction will not be needed in the budget year. Furthermore, because preliminary plans have not yet been completed, the Legislature has no more information now than it had last year regarding the construction cost or scope of work for the project. Preliminary plans should be completed in order to validate the previous cost recognized by the Legislature before additional funds are authorized. Therefore, we recommend the Legislature delete $2.1 million under Item 6110-301-0001 (2).