HCR 144

                SPONSOR:
                Rep. Minor-Brown & Sen. Huxtable
                Rep. Harris
        HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
        153rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY
        HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 144
        CONCURRENT RESOLUTION REQUESTING STRATEGIC PLANS FOR THE REPURPOSING OF UNDERUTILIZED PUBLIC SCHOOL FACILITIES AND STATE-OWNED BUILDINGS TO MEET COMMUNITY AND WORKFORCE NEEDS.
        WHEREAS, Delaware communities face ongoing challenges related to child care access, senior services, affordable housing, and other supports that enable residents to live and work in the State; and
        WHEREAS, demographic trends and enrollment shifts have left some public school facilities operating well below capacity, while other public services face space constraints; and
        WHEREAS, unused and underutilized public school buildings have been successfully repurposed in other jurisdictions into child care centers, senior housing, professional offices, trade schools, and community facilities, demonstrating the potential of adaptive reuse to address local needs; and
        WHEREAS, research on adaptive reuse of public buildings emphasizes that repurposing existing facilities can reduce environmental impacts, preserve community character, and make more efficient use of taxpayer-funded assets compared to new construction; and
        WHEREAS, similar opportunities exist with unused or underutilized state-owned buildings, which may be suitable for conversion to child care hubs, health and behavioral health services, workforce training sites, or other community-serving uses; and
        WHEREAS, the State of Delaware must balance competing capital needs and cannot sustainably fund new construction while existing public buildings sit idle or significantly underused.
        NOW, THEREFORE:
        BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives and the Senate of the 153rd General Assembly of the State of Delaware that, within one year, the Office of Management and Budget, in coordination with the Department of Education and school district operations personnel, as appropriate, and consistent with local decision-making authority, shall use existing facility condition, capacity, and enrollment data to define underutilized real property owned by the state, including school properties.
        BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that, within one year, the Office of Management and Budget, in coordination with the Department of Education and school district operations personnel, as appropriate, and consistent with local decision-making authority, shall develop a framework outlining the process to repurpose such properties to meet documented community needs, including child care, senior services, housing, workforce supports, and other community programming.
        BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the framework shall include recommendations for identification, evaluation, and potential repurposing or other use of such properties, while preserving flexibility for future educational use based on enrollment projections and district planning.
        BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that, to the extent practicable, this work shall rely on data already collected by these agencies, in combination with available data on community needs from State agencies and other accessible sources.
        BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the agencies conducting this work shall provide opportunities for public input and stakeholder engagement during development of the report and framework.
        BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a suitable copy of this Resolution be provided to the Governor, the Secretary of the Department of Education, the Director of the Office of Management and Budget, each school district, and other relevant agencies.
        BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the foregoing requests for information must be submitted to the Chief Clerk of the House of Representatives, the Secretary of the Senate, and the Director and Librarian of the Division of Legislative Services within 1 year.
        SYNOPSIS
        This House Concurrent Resolution requests strategic plans and a framework for the potential repurposing of underutilized public school facilities and state-owned buildings to meet community and workforce needs.