Where will the school be built?
When will the school be ready?
What will be done to accommodate the increase in traffic at the school site?
What specific programs will be housed at the school?
How many students will the school accommodate?
Why build now?
What is the projected growth rate for our district?
Why build a school for three-, four, and five-year olds?
Finance
Why will it take $19.8 million to build the facility?
Cost of construction for school facilities is currently being projected at $150 per square foot. This is more than double the cost per square foot of the last district building project. Cost of building materials and shipping cost are major factors attributing to the increase. Inflation estimates for construction for the next two-year period are projected to be four percent per year. If we wait and build later, we will pay more.
How much will the payments be each year?
How bad are the facility conditions at ______ High School?
What is the nature of these deficiencies?
A: The deficiencies at ______ High fall into three broad categories – poor and potentially dangerous conditions, overcrowding, and inability to deliver a contemporary educational program.
How can overcrowding be an issue in an era of declining enrollment?
What is the question at hand?
What is the cost of this feasibility study and schematic design phase?
Report Abuse
Have you ever known of a high school to be closed down for the building?
There is a reason. It doesn't happen.
School Building Safety
Checking that your child's school is a safe place to spend the day may involve looking at a number of issues: air quality, fire code compliance, policies on chemicals and hazardous waste, as well as pest control and chemical spraying of school grounds. Here are some questions to ask and resources to check for each of these topics.
Air Quality-General
On the ground:
Are ventilation units turned on and air flowing into outdoor air intakes?
Are outdoor air intakes free from blockage or obstruction (boards, leaves, vegetation, snow, etc.)?
No potential sources of air contamination in the vicinity of the building (chimneys, stacks, industrial plants, exhaust from nearby buildings)?
Do roof downspouts direct water away from building?
On the roof:
Is the roof in good repair?
Is their evidence of ponding?
Are the ventilation units on and air flowing into outdoor air intakes?
Are outdoor air intakes open, even at the minimum setting?
Are exhaust fans operating and air flowing out?
Among the questions to be considered in a review of indoor problem areas are:
Are air supply and exhaust vents free from barriers?
Are their signs of dampness or water damage?
Do children, their teachers or other school staff report any concerns or problems?
Have radon measurements been taken regularly?
If the building was built before 1980, is paint inside or outside free from peeling or flaking?
Mold
Mold contamination in schools has been associated with student and teacher illness and resulted in school closings. To avoid mold problems regular maintenance that keeps a building dry and well maintained is essential.
Many of the same questions that are used for a School Air Quality Walkthrough may be used to check on conditions that contribute to a mold problem. Two key questions are:
Are there persistent damp areas in the school building or signs of water damage?
Do children or teachers complain of 'funny' or unpleasant smells?
Chemicals and Pesticides
Integrated Pest Management policies are universally recommended to reduce the use of pesticides on school grounds and in school buildings. Parents concerned about children's exposure to pesticides at school might ask the following two questions:
Are there pest problems at the school, particularly in the food storage and cafeteria areas?
What procedures are used to manage pest problems?
How many state standards did we meet this year?
What percentages of our students are proficient?
Are we making progress toward meeting the state standards?
How did each of our sub-groups of students perform (gender, race/ethnicity, students with disabilities and limited English proficient)?
How many students scored at the each performance level (advanced, proficient, basic, below basic)?
Additional School Performance Indicators :
What is our Attendance Rate?
What is our Enrollment?
How did our students with disabilities perform?
How did the gifted students in our school do on the proficiency tests?
What is our school's performance based on the length of time a student is in the school?
Other Often Requested District Information :
What was our district's rating on the Report Card?
Where are the high performing districts?
