The University of Washington has addressed its deferred maintenance needs through a strategy that includes building an externally reinforced consensus, internal monitoring, a review and priority-setting system, and a conscious budget strategy that separates needs for deferred maintenance from projects that serve teaching and research directly.…

Effective and efficient management of school district custodial and maintenance services can be achieved by contracting out these services. A competent management company will offer a computerized management system and a complete training program. Prospective management companies should also offer management and cost controls. (MLF)

An inadequate (although constant) share of funding, a serious accumulation of deferred maintenance, and the decline in constant dollars directed toward physical plants all suggest that the overall higher education enterprise is underfunded. At the expense of future generations, we are spending down the capital asset represented by facilities. (MLW)

Explores the implementation of total quality management in the maintenance and operations department of an upstate New York school district. Four figures illustrate the problem-solving process. (MLF)

Offers tips on how to find the best lighting solution for school facilities that is also cost effective. Tips include looking for energy-efficient lighting systems that help cut long-term costs; using high-quality lighting that reduces the number of fixtures needed; and considering heating and air-conditioning loads, daylight entering the…

Three school districts are working successfully with a private contractor to reduce the operating costs of lunch programs, while increasing participation and maintaining nutrition standards. The facilities department of the fourth school is producing higher quality work and greater accountability under the direction of a private contractor. (MLF)

An annual survey of physical plant directors at 2-year colleges and 4-year institutions with no significant graduate programs revealed that spending on maintenance and operations (M & O) as a percentage of total budget dropped to 10 percent from 10.5 percent a year ago. Other survey findings are presented in several data tables. (EV)

It is hard to be a school professional these days. There seems to be an increasing number of demands, but the time, money and public support needed to bring about school improvements seem to be declining. This is especially true when considering buildings and grounds, which often get a seat at the back of the class. A number of new, affordable…

Background: Policies set at the state, district, and school levels can support and enhance a healthy and safe school environment. Methods: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention conducts the School Health Policies and Programs Study every 6 years. In 2006, computer-assisted telephone interviews or self-administered mail questionnaires were…

Nationwide, the condition of school facilities is declining, yet funding for school renovation and new construction is difficult to obtain. As many states are now taking increasing responsibility for funding their educational facilities, options are being sought. This publication identifies the major decision points for policymakers addressing…

A study was conducted of the physical plant maintenance department (PPMD) of Southwest Texas Junior College (SWTJC), in order to determine if the department was structured as a functional organization, if maintenance control procedures were in place, and if efficient management practices were being used. Consultations with the director of the PPMD…

The costs of owning and operating physical facilities are consuming an increasing share of the budgets of colleges and universities. In the past, academic and operating units of colleges have viewed their space as a free commodity and often used it extravagantly. Space costing is a method of cost accounting the space and operating and maintenance…

This booklet tells how to set up an Energy Conservation Program in individual school districts. It discusses: (1) appointing an energy conservation manager; (2) keeping energy consumption records; and (3) assessing the energy saving potential of each school; and it outlines (4) some of the steps that can be taken to cut down energy waste.…

THIS REPORT FROM TEXAS WESTERN COLLEGE CONCERNS THE PROBLEMS INVOLVED AND CURRENT PRACTICES IN TEXAS SCHOOL PURCHASING DEPARTMENTS. TWO SURVEYS WERE CONDUCTED BY THE COLLEGE TO INVESTIGATE TWO AREAS. ONE WAS TO DETERMINE SUPERINTENDENTS' PURCHASING PRACTICES BY SCHOOL SIZE, WHILE THE SECOND WAS TO DETERMINE, ALSO BY SCHOOL SIZE, THE LEVEL AND…

Boards of education must be convinced that spending money up front for preventive maintenance will, in the long run, save districts' tax dollars. A good program of preventive maintenance can minimize disruption of service; reduce repair costs, energy consumption, and overtime; improve labor productivity and system equipment reliability; handle…