By Mike Zinn

Part 2 of a 3-part series, this article will focus on the information gathering and recommendation phases of the process.

Part 1 Review (see MASA's May 16, 2008, issue of the Leader)

Part 1 of this article focused on the essential first steps within the facilities study process:

• Defining the Facilities Study Team role, responsibility and length of service.
• Creating a Selection Team to identify criteria for selecting Facilities Study Team members.
• Providing the Facilities Study Team with the appropriate training, organizational structure and ground rules.

Part 2 will focus on the information gathering and recommendation phases of the process.

• District Financial Status
• Student Enrollment Trends
• Building Data
• Building Tours
• Selecting Evaluation Criteria
• Using Task Teams
• Recommendation Task Teams
• Selecting the Best Option
• Presenting the Team’s Recommendation

District Financial Status
The district’s Chief Financial Officer can provide team members with the current and future “picture” of the district’s finances. Areas for emphasis might include: financial variables, state budget impact, funding sources and expenditures, facility and transportation costs, etc.

This overview will reinforce the need for the district to use and manage its facilities in a cost-effective manner, which may result in the need to consolidate schools and or programs.

Student Enrollment Trends
Gaining an awareness of the district’s historical and projected student enrollment will illustrate the district’s declining enrollment. This data should be presented by grade level for each building in the district and include general and special education students. It is instructive to provide historical data for each of the previous five years. Going forward, projected student enrollment should be provided for each of the next five to seven years. A recent Facilities Study Team learned that within five years the district would have a student population that used sixty percent of the district’s capacity.

Building Data
The district’s Operations Director should provide a profile of each building in the district, including:

• Age of each building
• List of renovations
• Number of classrooms
• Student capacity
• Assessment of infrastructure
• Floor plan
• Etc.

Building Tours
The building profile will prepare team members to visit each building in the district. A small Task Team can develop an assessment template for the tours. The assessment form will provide an evaluation of building conditions:

• Halls and ceiling
• ADA compliance
• Parking and parent pick-up areas
• Classrooms
• Site and building size
• Exterior
• Playgrounds
• Etc.

Using an assessment scale (1-5 for example), team members can compare and rate the characteristics of each building and identify specific strengths and weaknesses. Tabulating and summarizing the scores, strengths and weaknesses of each building will create a consensus among team members.

Selecting Evaluation Criteria
Identifying objective criteria to evaluate various recommendations is a key activity in the facilities study process. A Task Team can gather information and ideas from the entire team and use that information to draft a proposal. Criteria selected by Facilities Study Teams have included:

• Space utilization
• Operating costs
• Geographic considerations
• Transportation
• Building condition
• Etc.

Facilities Study Teams have found it helpful to prioritize the criteria. Based upon the specific needs of the district, some criteria will clearly be of a higher priority. The Task Team should review their proposal with the entire team for their input, modification and consensus.

Using Task Teams
Making use of small, short-term, Task Teams (5-7 people) throughout the process enables a team to take advantage of the expertise and interest of individual team members. Using consensus decision-making to assess buildings, determine criteria, etc. prepare the team to make the very difficult consolidation decisions.

Recommendation Task Teams
Creating several Task Teams to develop consolidation recommendations provides an opportunity for all team members to be actively involved in evaluating the information gathered and selecting a viable option. Each Task Team will require 4-6 weeks to assess the information and develop their recommendation. Most districts have directed the team to recommend a five (5) year (i.e. 2013-2014 school year) facilities plan. A common format should include:

• Buildings to remain open
• Building to be set aside for alternate use
• Student enrollment and boundaries for each building
• Operating costs
• Etc.

Selecting the Best Option
Each Task Team should present their preferred recommendation to the entire team with an opportunity for feedback and input. Active facilitation of the discussion will be required as each option is evaluated “side-by-side” based upon the criteria and priorities selected by the team. Using this objective scoring method will determine which option best meets the team’s criteria and priorities. Further discussion allows the team to modify or improve the recommendation, possibly using ideas generated by other Task Teams.

It is essential that the Facilities Study Team gain consensus on the recommendation to be presented to the Board of Education. Using consensus-seeking guidelines, previous consensus “success,” active facilitation and providing time are necessary during this phase.

Presenting the Team’s Recommendation
The final step in the process is a formal presentation to the Board of Education. Previous presentations have included:

• Background on the process used and steps taken by the team
• Types of information gathered and evaluated
• Assumptions, criteria and desired outcomes used by the team
• Consolidation recommendation and rationale
• Etc.

Coming in June:
Once the Board of Education adopts a consolidation plan, the School district must implement a Transition phase. Creating a Core Planning Team composed of staff members, parents, students and administrators can assist the district to plan and prepare for the transition. The final article in this series will focus on this important phase.

Mike Zinn combines 18 years of teaching experience with 25 years of human resource training and facilitation. He has conducted over 300 projects for School Improvement Teams and Administrative Teams with an emphasis on team building, leadership, and project planning. He has facilitated three (3) facilities study projects for school districts in Michigan . Mike can be reached at: mgzinn@yahoo.com or 941.993.6403.