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1Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors2Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute3Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsConnecticut towns do not receive a flat state contribution for every school project. The Connecticut Department of Administrative Services (DAS), Office of Grants Administration (OGA), administers a reimbursement program for eligible municipalities, regional school districts, and regional educational service centers. DAS assigns each local education agency (LEA) an annual reimbursement rate, applies that rate only to eligible project costs, reviews payment requests during construction, and releases the remaining holdback after a final audit.
For fiscal year 2027, published general-construction rates range from 20% to 80%. That range is not a promise to any particular town. A town must verify its LEA rate, project category, statutory funding date, eligible-cost base, approvals, and applicable 2026 rules before estimating the grant.
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What the Connecticut school construction grant pays
The program is a state reimbursement grant, not an automatic payment of a fixed percentage of a project’s entire invoice. DAS determines the maximum grant by applying the LEA’s reimbursement rate to costs that qualify under the school-construction statutes, regulations, and project approvals.
DAS describes the rate this way: “The reimbursement rate determines the maximum school construction grant amount as a percentage of the total eligible costs of a school construction project.” The word eligible is decisive. A cost can appear in a contractor’s bill and still be excluded, limited, or treated differently under program rules.
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Eligible applicants include:
- Connecticut municipalities and towns;
- Regional school districts; and
- Regional educational service centers (RESCs).
The grant commitment is tied to the approved project and its eligible scope. It is not a general-purpose contribution that a town can move freely among school facilities or unrelated capital work.
How DAS sets a town’s reimbursement rate
DAS calculates two rates for each eligible LEA: a general-construction rate and a rate for early-childhood care and education programming. The calculation starts with each municipality’s adjusted equalized net grand list per capita (AENGLC), a measure of relative fiscal capacity. DAS ranks LEAs using a three-year average and applies the statutory calculations along a continuous scale.
For a regional district, RESC, or endowed school, the calculation uses the applicable data from participating municipalities rather than treating the entity as if it were a single ordinary town. The result is an LEA-specific annual rate.
| Item | What it means |
|---|---|
| FY2027 general-construction range | 20% to 80%, according to DAS’s published FY2027 guidance |
| Rate basis | Statutory formula using AENGLC and a three-year average |
| Rates issued | Separate rates for general construction and early-childhood care and education programming |
| Who must verify the number | The town or district, using the current DAS annual table and project-specific guidance |
Do not use the midpoint of the 20%–80% range as a planning assumption. A town’s actual rate may be anywhere in the published range, and the applicable entitlement is also associated with the date the town or district secured its local share of project funding under the statute. Confirm the annual rate table and the relevant local-funding date with DAS before making a project calculation.
Conditional additions to the rate
Some projects can receive an additional percentage, but these are conditional statutory or program provisions, not a universal bonus:
- Early childhood: Certain elementary-school projects that include early-childhood care and education for children from birth through age five can receive an additional 15% under the published guidance.
- In-district special education: Eligible new, renovated, or expanded space primarily used for in-district special-education programming can receive an additional 15% on the portion used for those services.
- Housing and planning: A Priority List project with an application submitted on or after July 1, 2026 can receive an additional 5% when the municipality meets the specified housing and planning criteria.
- Outdoor athletic facilities: Qualifying expenses are reimbursed at one-half of the project’s reimbursement rate under the regulations effective March 18, 2026.
Each addition requires a review of the statutory and program conditions. A town should not add the percentages to its base rate until DAS confirms that the project scope and documentation qualify.
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Priority and Non-Priority routes
The first project decision is whether the work belongs on the Priority List route or can use the Non-Priority process. DAS describes Priority List projects as matters submitted for state-list and legislative review. Renovations, extensions, major alterations, and qualifying replacement or new-construction projects generally fall on the Priority side. A proposed replacement or new building must demonstrate that it is less expensive than renovation, extension, or major alteration under the applicable comparison.
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Code-violation work and roof replacements are listed as Non-Priority categories. The category names do not, by themselves, approve a project: the exact scope, current regulations, and application materials control.
| Route or scope | Program treatment described by DAS |
|---|---|
| Renovation, extension, or major alteration | Generally handled as Priority List work, subject to current eligibility and review |
| Qualifying replacement or new construction | Priority List; the applicant must show it is less costly than renovation, extension, or major alteration |
| Code violations | Listed as a Non-Priority category |
| Roof replacement | Listed as a Non-Priority category |
| Outdoor athletic lighting, parking, or artificial turf | Limited eligibility when included as part of a qualifying renovation, alteration, or new-construction project; reimbursed at one-half of the project rate |
Use the current DAS category guidance before fixing a design schedule. Misclassifying a project can send it into the wrong review path or leave work outside the grant authorization.
2026 rule changes that affect eligibility
Outdoor athletic facilities
Regulations effective for applications filed on and after March 18, 2026, allow limited eligibility for certain outdoor athletic-facility expenses. DAS identifies athletic-facility lighting, parking, and artificial turf when included as part of a renovation, alteration, or new-construction project. These items are treated as outdoor athletic facilities and reimbursed at one-half of the project’s reimbursement rate, subject to the scope conditions in the regulations. They are not automatically eligible as stand-alone improvements.
Construction cost per square foot
A new allowable construction cost per square foot applies to applications filed on and after July 1, 2026. Construction costs above the calculated allowance are ineligible for reimbursement. DAS defines the construction-cost component by reference to UNIFORMAT II major group elements A through F and associated general conditions, general requirements, overhead, and profit.
The square-foot limit does not include the following categories for purposes of that particular limit:
- Sitework and other work beyond five feet of the building footprint;
- Full building or structure demolition;
- Loose furniture, fixtures, and equipment;
- Design and consultant fees;
- Testing, inspection, and permit fees; and
- Land acquisition.
Exclusion from the square-foot calculation does not make an item automatically reimbursable. Each cost must still satisfy the separate eligibility rules, approved scope, and documentation requirements.
Application process: a town’s step-by-step path
- Select the route and define the scope. Decide whether the project is Priority List or Non-Priority, identify the facility and work categories, and check whether the proposed new or replacement construction must be compared with renovation or alteration.
- Confirm the LEA and rate information. Identify the applicant entity, retrieve the current general-construction and early-childhood rates, and verify the local-share funding date that controls the applicable entitlement.
- Establish Core-CT access. Applications are submitted through Core-CT using superintendent user accounts. The municipal or district Core-CT administrator can arrange access. If the administrator cannot be identified, DAS directs applicants to OGA for assistance.
- Prepare the application record. Assemble the required documentation and a probable-cost estimate using the Public School Construction Cost Database. DAS’s listed resources include final applications, notices of change, payment-request forms, sample resolutions, education specifications, and site-analysis materials.
- Submit during the correct Priority List event. DAS says Priority List events open July 1 and close at 8 p.m. on June 30 of the following calendar year. Once an event closes, an application cannot be submitted to that event; the next event must be used.
- Obtain site and design approvals. Check site approval and project-specific environmental, health, safety, energy, and other clearances. Final-design approval must be in place before any phase is let for bid if that phase is to remain eligible for reimbursement.
- Document changes while work proceeds. Use DAS change notices and cost-documentation procedures. Keep the approved scope, contracts, invoices, eligible-cost schedules, and change records aligned. A construction invoice alone does not establish eligibility.
- Request progress payments. An open school-construction project with a state grant commitment may submit payment requests. DAS reviews each request in the context of the project and its eligible costs.
- Close the project and submit the audit package. Within one year after project acceptance, send the required final documents, respond to audit questions, and reconcile all project costs and payments.
What to include in the cost and approval record
A defensible application record lets DAS connect the proposed scope, cost estimate, approvals, contracts, and payment requests. At minimum, the town should organize:
- The final application and approved project description;
- The probable-cost estimate prepared through the Public School Construction Cost Database;
- Education specifications and site-analysis material where required;
- Resolutions and board or municipal authorizations;
- Design approvals and evidence that approval preceded the relevant bid phase;
- Contracts, change orders, notices of change, invoices, and payment evidence;
- A cost ledger separating eligible, limited-eligible, and ineligible items; and
- Records supporting any early-childhood, special-education, housing/planning, or outdoor-facility treatment.
This separation is especially important after the 2026 square-foot rule. Costs counted in the UNIFORMAT II A–F construction base must be distinguishable from sitework, demolition, furniture and equipment, professional fees, testing and permits, and land acquisition.
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The town must finance project spending before reimbursement arrives. DAS describes the program as operating on a cash-flow basis, with State Bond Commission funds allocated as reimbursement requests arise. As of June 30, 2025, DAS reported approximately $4.4 billion in outstanding grant commitments. That is a dated, program-wide commitment figure—not money available to a particular town and not FY2027 budget authority.
Before construction begins, the town should model the timing of local borrowing, contractor payment milestones, grant authorization, DAS review, and the final holdback. An approved maximum rate does not guarantee that every requested dollar will be paid: requests are reviewed against the project’s authorization and eligible-cost records.
Open projects can request progress payments only after a state grant commitment exists. Each request is subject to detailed, project-specific review. Keep requests consistent with the approved scope and maintain a cumulative ledger so the final application and payment request reconcile to the same eligible-cost total.
Closeout and final audit
Project acceptance starts a one-year closeout deadline. DAS’s closure guidance calls for all of the following:
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- SCG-1020: eligible-cost information;
- DAS-1046S: payment request; and
- Board-of-education minutes documenting acceptance of the project.
OGA finalizes the project calculations and passes the completed file to the audit team. DAS processes the remaining grant holdback after the audit is complete. Missing minutes, inconsistent costs, or unsupported classifications can delay that release, so the closeout file should be assembled before the one-year deadline rather than treated as an afterthought.
A planning checklist for towns and districts
- Identify the applicant LEA and confirm whether the work is Priority List or Non-Priority.
- Obtain the current FY2027 rate table and verify the rate tied to the applicable local-share funding date.
- Check both the general-construction rate and, if relevant, the early-childhood rate.
- Test each proposed conditional addition against its statutory criteria instead of assuming it applies.
- For applications filed on or after July 1, 2026, separate UNIFORMAT II A–F construction costs from excluded categories and test the square-foot allowance.
- For outdoor athletic work, confirm that the item is part of an eligible renovation, alteration, or new-construction project and apply the one-half-rate treatment.
- Create Core-CT superintendent access early and identify the municipal or district administrator.
- Use the Public School Construction Cost Database for the probable-cost estimate.
- Schedule site and final-design approvals before bidding any phase.
- Build a cash-flow plan that includes local financing, progress-payment review, and the final holdback.
- Track changes, invoices, and eligible-cost classifications continuously.
- Calendar the one-year post-acceptance closeout deadline and gather DAS-1049F, SCG-1020, DAS-1046S, and acceptance minutes.
How to estimate the grant without overstating it
A preliminary estimate should be expressed as a range or as a conditional calculation, not as a guaranteed award:
- Start with the LEA’s verified annual reimbursement rate.
- Identify the project’s approved eligible-cost base.
- Apply only those conditional additions for which the project has documented eligibility.
- Remove costs excluded by the project rules, including any construction amount above the applicable July 1, 2026 square-foot allowance.
- Compare the resulting maximum grant with the town’s cash-flow schedule and expected holdback.
The result is a planning ceiling. The final payment depends on DAS review, actual eligible costs, approved changes, payment documentation, and audit findings.
Bottom line for Connecticut officials and residents
Connecticut’s school-construction grant is best understood as a regulated reimbursement pipeline: classify the project, secure Core-CT access, submit a documented application and cost estimate, obtain approvals before bidding, preserve eligible-cost records, request payments on an authorized project, and complete the audit within one year of acceptance. The FY2027 general-construction range is 20%–80%, but the town’s real grant depends on its LEA rate, local funding date, project route, eligible-cost base, and any conditional or 2026-specific limits. DAS should confirm those inputs before a town publishes a project budget or asks voters to authorize local financing.
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