This report identifies seven strategic practices for effectively managing preventive maintenance of Minnesota school district, city, and county buildings; and profiles local jurisdictions currently using them. The following best practices for preventive maintenance are recommended: (1) inventory building components and assess their conditions; (2)…

Presents an interview with Keith Reid, vice president of education services at a facility services outsourcing firm, about the conditions of today's college campuses, how schools are handling facility services, and the future of the industry. (EV)

A light-hearted look at some of the characteristics of elementary schools that are absent from most organizational descriptions, including malfunctioning heating and cooling systems, archaic audiovisual equipment, and an inordinate number of uninvited cats and dogs. (JM)

Presents an interview with Kathleen O'Brien, vice president of university services at the University of Minnesota. Discusses her goals for making the school an institutional benchmark for architecture and facilities management. (EV)

Institutional survival will require attention to credit-hour management and the cost effectiveness of the sale of credit hours, physical plant use, and the attraction of students with the ability to pay educational costs. (MSE)

After establishing building use patterns and complaints, a consulting engineer's walkthrough energy audit begins with the exterior. Then heating/cooling system efficiency is checked with a flue gases kit. Efficient use of water heaters, lighting, teacher lounges, and food preparation and eating areas saves energy. Most effective conservation…

The article describes both the advantages and disadvantages of living and teaching in a remote rural area, where the teacher must function as both teacher and janitor. (SB)

A roof system's warranty is an essential detail of which every purchaser should be aware. Addresses different types of warranties offered, what a manufacture warranty covers, and important features all warranties should include. Additionally, benefits of warranties, five common loopholes in warranties, and five guidelines for a purchaser to follow…

The long-term implications of overeconomizing in physical resources, involving deferred or low maintenance and reduced services, are more serious than is commonly realized. Administrators need greater freedom to manage physical resources, improved liaison with academic planners, and more careful preparation of cases presented to funding…

Gerald Scott's favorable evaluation of the foamed polyurethane roofing system is based on experiences with 55 buildings at Texas A & M. Michael Kinzer, an architect at Colorado State University, disagrees and claims that the system is difficult to install and maintain, and the cost prohibitive. (MLF)

Colleges and universities should pursue a long-term strategy designed to maintain the value of plant assets to the ongoing program of the institution. Methods for anticipating and funding the expenditure levels needed to reach this goal are reviewed. An approach based on financial equilibrium concepts is suggested. (Author/MLW)

Argues that the overall and continuing decay of the nation's public school facilities suggests a greater formal relation is needed between K-12 school physical plants and the Association of Higher Education Facilities Officers (APPA). APPA's efforts to study and prepare for this task while also supporting APPA strategic objectives are discussed.…

Discusses an effort by students, parents, alumni, and alumni parents to help clean and paint Bishop Fenwick High School, in Massachusetts, as a way to "give something back" to the school; the event has been a springboard for other community service events, such as a landscaping day at the school. (AJL)

In Illinois, the combination of aging structures, local taxpayer resistance to increased property taxes, and increased costs have all affected local school infrastructure feasibility. Proposes four steps districts should be required to take to meet their fiduciary responsibilities. (eight references) (MLF)

This paper examines the impact current maintenance and operations (M&O) practices have on U.S. school performance and offers possible opportunities for improvement through the judicious use of technology and methodology. The paper also presents a regional comparative analysis of M&O costs across the country. A list of equipment and their…