To cut costs, some administrators are contracting with the private sector for such services as pupil transportation, facilities maintenance, and cafeteria operations. Proponents of competitive contracting assert that it can provide public schools with the kind of expertise, flexibility, and cost efficiencies not always available with inhouse…

The poor condition of many schools and other educational buildings is giving rise to increasing concern in many countries that are members of the Organisation for Economic Development and Cooperation. The disparity between concern with deterioration of educational buildings and the failure to fund improvements and/or maintenance is referred to as…

This chapter of "Principles of School Business Management" reviews the extensive range of activities associated with planning for and constructing school facilities. These activities include (1) organizing the staff and organizing the task; (2) conducting long-range planning (involving the gathering of data, the development of a planning document,…

The District of Columbia Public Schools system has taken action to ensure that supply items will be obtained at the most competitive prices. Because lack of storage facilities prevented bulk purchase of emergency items at competitive rates, the Division of Buildings and Grounds has remodeled a building as a warehouse to store large quantities of…

The ordinary conduct of school business is accompanied today by risks that were rare or unknown a few decades ago. School administrators are continually being challenged to develop new strategies to safeguard their districts' assets. Risk management is a coordinated effort to protect an organization's assets, both human and financial, from all…

Identifies two major administrative problems: (1) schools need instructional leadership, but management tasks take most of a principal's time, and (2) teachers want professional development leadership to come from within their own ranks. Examines myths and realities of the principal's role and describes master teacher leadership structures already…

This workbook is designed to meet the energy planning needs of colleges and universities in organizing, developing, and implementing an energy management program based on individual campus needs. The workbook is organized into three sections which address diagnosis, program development, and implementation. By using the exercises provided, campus…

The 1997 Virginia General Assembly passed HB 1851, which directs local school boards to require all schools under their supervisory control to conduct school safety audits. This type of audit should "assess the safety conditions in each public school." HB 1851 also directed the Superintendent of Public Instruction to develop a list of…

Changes in staffing patterns of Finnish universities are examined, particularly the increase in administrative staff in relation to academic staff. Explanations are offered for the decrease in maintenance, service, and auxiliary research and teaching personnel. New skills that are required in these areas and relations between administrative and…

Colleges and universities are turning increasingly to private real estate and property management companies to boost customer satisfaction with, and income from, student housing. Issues to be considered are examined, including the market profile, facility types and needs, maintenance and housekeeping, communications technology, complementary…

This report presents the results of a study of the condition of higher education facilities in the United States and offers recommendations to improve the deteriorating state of such facilities. The 1995 survey examined statistical, financial, and operational data gathered through mailed questionnaires returned by 400 institutions. The results…

This monograph on facilities renewal at small colleges offers six case studies illustrating how these small private colleges and universities managed and funded deferred maintenance. The case studies were all written by facilities directors from institutions that developed innovative strategic plans to revitalize their physical plants. The first…

Senator Carol Moseley-Braun, D-Ill., a recognized advocate for federal funding of educational facilities, describes the strategy of placing school infrastructure in the same category as commercial and transportation infrastructure. Three researchers in the facilities field present empirical evidence that facility conditions directly affect…

This theme issue describes ways in which educational administrators are successfully automating many of their administrative tasks. Articles focus on student management; office automation, including word processing, databases, and spreadsheets; human resources; support services, including supplies, textbooks, and learning resources; financial…

There are several reasons why appraisals of school sites are necessary--the reasons run the range from the importance of performing a postoccupancy review to examining the need for new facilities. This guide helps educators and community leaders, as well as technical experts in school facilities, to complete the process of school facility…