At thousands of schools and universities, years of economic troubles have led to repeated budget cuts. The reductions typically fall disproportionately on maintenance departments, where cuts are viewed as less critical than those that directly affect classroom instruction. And so nearly every facility manager at an education institution faces a…

The 24-acre site south of Wilshire Boulevard in the Koreatown section of Los Angeles signifies different things to different people. To those with fond memories of the golden era of Hollywood glamour, the site is where starlets were discovered, some of the first Academy Award ceremonies were held, and where the Rat Pack hung out. To those…

When Fayette County (Kentucky) school officials began putting together estimates for upcoming renovation projects at two elementary schools, they based their projections on their district construction projects from 2007. But by February, when construction bids were opened for the renovations of Cassidy and Russell Cave elementary schools, the…

Tax bases eroding. Jobs disappearing. Endowments shrinking. Aid evaporating. That's been the story in 2009 for many schools and universities across the nation. Education institutions have had to cope with the worst economic conditions in generations. Yet the product they provide has never been more critical to a society looking to rebound from…

This article presents 10 areas that education administrators can target as they work to create and maintain facilities that offer a high-quality learning climate. These areas are: budget, forward-thinking, community, health and safety, security, environmental stewardship, maintenance, learning climate, appealing and technology.

School administrators have always labored to find ways to squeeze more value out of their limited budgets. However, in recent years, more educators and administrators have been looking at their spending decisions from a long-term perspective. Planning education facilities for the long term has led many schools and universities to adopt different…

How much does a school cost? It's a straightforward question, but the answer for many education administrators is a frustrating, "It depends." The cost of a school facility surely includes what an education institution pays for the building site, design plans, construction materials, workers who assemble the building, and furniture and equipment…