When a school district undertakes a major school construction project and seeks reimbursement from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, a process known as PlanCon is initiated.
PlanCon is an acronym for Planning and Construction Workbook, and is a set of forms and procedures used to apply for reimbursement. The forms are designed to: (1) document a local school district's planning process; (2) provide justification for a project to the public; (3) ascertain compliance with state laws, regulations, and standards; and (4) establish the level of state participation in the cost of the project.
Applications for PlanCon 2.0 (under Act 70 of 2019) & the Maintenance Program (under Act 70 of 2019) for the 2026/2027 school year are not being accepted. This does not affect the PDE-2071 Reimbursement Applications for existing projects.
PlanCon prior to Act 70 of 2019 was authorized via a series of complimentary statutes and regulations. Any projects approved via the old method must continue the reimbursement process via the 2071 reporting mechanism.
Project refinance actions and final construction reporting, completed respectively via the PlanCon Part K and Part J process, will still need to be completed for projects approved under the old version.
- 2071 Directions (PDF)
Supporting America’s School Infrastructure (SASI) Grant Program
The Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) was recently awarded the Supporting America’s School Infrastructure (SASI) Grant. The purpose of the grant is to increase PDE’s capacity to support high-need districts and schools in leveraging other available federal, state, and local resources to improve school facilities and environments. By identifying what resources are necessary for these districts, PDE hopes these public-school infrastructure improvements will create facilities that are safe, healthy, sustainable, and equitable learning environments for all students.
Pennsylvania was awarded the SASI grant along with eight other states. Though no pass-through funds are available directly to school districts, the department is committed to assisting high-need districts via this USDE supported opportunity.
PDE Goals of SASI
To assist low-income, high-need, school districts in capacity building professional development designed to develop best practices in maintaining and upgrading aging school facilities.
To provide consultative services to high-need districts via professional technical architectural services regarding industry trends and frequently asked questions within the discipline of school construction including but not limited to design parameters, cost trends, and educational specifications.
To facilitate connections between district personnel and other high-need districts, professional organizations, government agencies, and research universities to enhance the facility review process and share best practices.
To obtain financial resources for high-need districts to address facility deficiencies.
To ascertain via third-party review the level of facility deficiencies in order to quantify aggregate need across all high-need districts.
PDE Requirements – identify a cohort of eligible high need LEAs
Districts at or above 25% Census Bureau Low Income, as defined as eligible percentage of students under section 1124(c) of the ESEA (20 U.S.C. 6333(c))
Emergency Closures
The PDE Division of School Facilities serves in an advisory capacity for matters related to emergency school closures. The following section should be referenced before sending any post-incident reports to the Department's attention to receive an opinion on applicability and adherence to the provision.
- Emergency Report Form (Word)
Emergency Provision
24 P.S. § 7-751 : Section 751 of the School Code includes the following emergency provision:
If due to an emergency a school plant or any part thereof becomes unusable, competitive bids for repairs or replacement may be solicited from at least three responsible bidders, and, upon the approval of any of these bids by the board of school directors, the school district may proceed at once to make the necessary repairs or replacements in accordance with the terms of said approved bid or bids; and provided further, that the school district shall notify the Secretary of Education in a form and manner determined by the Secretary of Education that an emergency has occurred and a bid has been selected under the emergency process provided for in this section.
Frequently Asked Questions
Below is a list of frequently asked questions designed to assist public school entities in utilizing Section 751's emergency provision.
Emergencies under Section 751 are limited to situations or events that have actually occurred rendering the school facility's affected area or system closed or unusable.
Many urgent situations arise in school facilities that are not considered Section 751 emergencies. Examples include:
- Potential closures such as structural repair work that needs to be performed on a stadium's grandstand so that it can remain open for use.
- Potential system failures such as boiler repair work that needs to be performed so that a school building's heating system does not fail.
- Timeline urgencies such as flooring work that needs to be performed before a school building opens for the academic year.
This emergency provision is applicable to all public school districts, charter schools, career and technical centers, and intermediate units where the intermediate unit is housed in a facility owned by a public school district.
If the definition of an emergency is met, this emergency provision can be utilized, and the situation or event can be remedied as follows:
- The requirement to advertise the corrective work for bids is waived, allowing the school entity to solicit bids for the corrective work from at least three separate contractors.
- There is no requirement to receive three bids. However, if more than one bid is received, an award needs to be made to the lowest responsible bidder.
- Following an award of the corrective work, there is a post-event reporting requirement. Compliance with this reporting requirement is met by completing and submitting the following form (Emergency Report Form) to the Division of School Facilities.
No. Work performed under this emergency provision is not subject to the multiple prime contract requirement also cited in Section 751 of the School Code.
Yes. Using this emergency provision does not benefit a school entity when the total estimated cost for the corrective work falls within or below certain cost thresholds listed in Section 751.
- If the total estimated cost for the corrective work falls between $13,200 and $24,500, using the emergency provision is of no benefit to the school entity, because this cost range is already subject to a three bid solicitation.
- If the total estimated cost for the corrective work is less than $13,200, the school entity can simply make an award to the contractor of their choosing, since this cost range is not subject to advertising for bids nor a solicitation of three bids.
Please note that the cost thresholds indicated in this example change every January 1 based upon a consumer price index formula calculated by the Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry. A school entity should consult with their solicitor to determine whether the cost of work falls within or below these annually updated cost thresholds.
If an insurance company is involved, and they will directly obtain, contract, and pay the corrective work contractor, there is no need to treat the matter as an emergency.
Contact Us
Bureau of Budget and Fiscal Management, Division of School Facilities
607 South Drive, Harrisburg, PA 17120
717-787-5993 | RA-SchoolFacilities@pa.gov
| PDE Staff Name | Responsibilities | |
|---|---|---|
| Jesse Fry, Division Chief | Office Administration, Act 34, School Environmental Repairs Grant, PlanCon | jefry@pa.gov |
| Jason Drayer, Education Administration Specialist | PlanCon Part H, PlanCon Part J, PlanCon Part K, Budgeting and Appropriations, School Districts, Career & Technical Centers, and Charter Schools. | jadrayer@pa.gov |
| Amanda Schoffstall, Fiscal Management Specialist | PDE-2071’s and PDE-418’s/419’s for School Districts and Charter School Reimbursement, Community College Capital Funding | aschoffsta@pa.gov |
| Erin Derr, School Facilities Advisor | Supporting America's School Infrastructure Grant, Emergency Closures | jder@pa.gov |
| Jim Vogel, Part time credentialed Architect | Supporting America's School Infrastructure Grant Please Note: Since Jim is part time, he does not respond to emails daily, please copy Erin Derr at jder@pa.gov. | jvogel@pa.gov |