I am not an architect, but I have worked with dozens on facilities assessments. I am not a school superintendent, but I have consulted with scores. I am not a public education Board of Trustees member, but I have served several. I am a consultant in the bond planning industry with thirteen years experience and have teamed with school districts across Texas to achieve successful bond referendums and collaborative, consensus-driven community involvement in that process. In the world of bond referendum planning, what is the common denominator? What is the tipping point? A strong, robust, visionary, strategic facilities assessment!

Some school districts begin to plan for a bond referendum with an acute awareness of the general state of facilities that desperately need upgrades; some begin with a challenging demographic report that puts their district in a catch-up mode; some are challenged by capital needs that cannot be met any other way than through a publicly approved bond. Those are pieces of an intricate puzzle a school district puts together to place a bond referendum on a ballot in May or November. Yet, not one of these elements alone should drive such an important community decision.  A facilities assessment is needed for certain!

Facilities Assessments: Understanding The Complexities

Because of the complexity of balancing good stewardship of public money, the needs of the district, and the support of the community for a referendum, it is critical to managing all of the puzzle pieces with care and precision to achieve the best results. I have found the most empowering tool to be a well-thought-out facilities plan, conducted and reported by professional architects that have the knowledge and expertise to listen to the district professionals, assess the facilities, prioritize the needs and present the findings to the District, the Board and the bond planning committee. The processes for that vary, but generally architects gather data from campus principals and department heads with their observations and priorities for building needs. They also physically walk each campus to observe first-hand the structural deficiencies, life-cycle replacements, and expansion or replacement requirements. They collect and interpret functional and design capacity data along with the long-range needs of the District for space, and determine the viability of aging facilities through a formula that constructs a threshold for when it is more economical to replace a facility than continue to renovate it. All of this information is empowering to a Superintendent, a Board of Trustees and a community committee attempting to discern the need and viability of a bond referendum.   Every preparatory step in this regard will be well rewarded with increased confidence and effectiveness at the time of public introduction.

Certainly, such a plan presents valuable and sometimes mind-blowing reality check data for the District, helping them come to grips with the tension between existing needs and affordability. That is where the hard work begins. But a strong facilities plan, with priorities and pricing in place, is a living document that frequently evolves into a long-range facilities plan that can guide a District through several years of bond planning. It also provides strength of decision-making for a committee as they struggle with what projects to include in a referendum and why.

If a bond referendum is in your future, you can’t begin a facilities assessment too early. Rushed assessments are rarely satisfying to the District, the architects, the Board, or the committee. Take your time; be thorough; be thoughtful; be strategic; be successful!  Our team of educator friendly vendors will conceptualize and guide you through the entire process, so that you can ensure amazing outcomes for your ISD.