With an emphasis on planning and cutting costs to make better use of resources, facilities managers at community colleges across the nation have undertaken facilities audits usually with the help of outside engineers. Such assessments analyze the history and structural integrity of buildings and core components on campus, including heating…

Operating as the center of student life, college unions have a central role to teach citizenship, social responsibility, and leadership. Unions can serve as locations for education and conversations about sustainability, as well as for organizations operationally and programmatically engaged in sustainable practices. In this chapter, the authors…

School districts held an exclusive franchise on public education services until 1991, when Minnesota passed the first law permitting public charter schools. Charter schools are publicly funded, authorized by various agencies designated in public law, but independently managed. They operate outside district control, and most can draw students from…

In spring of 2012, the Michigan Association of Public School Academies, the Colorado League of Charter Schools, and the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools worked to collect evidence that would accurately portray both the adequacy of charter school facilities and the average amount of operating funds spent on facilities. Collectively, the…

Too many children and not enough schools was once the issue facing urban school districts across the United States at the turn of the twentieth century. The rise of industrialisation and the subsequent influx of workers and immigrants overwhelmed urban areas and school planners alike, with everyone demanding access to public schools. However, a…

According to an American Association of School Administrators survey, 6 percent of school districts closed or consolidated schools during the 2008-2009 school year, double the rate of the previous year. Another 11 percent are considering school closings or consolidations in 2010-2011. In the 1980's, declining enrollments were the main reason for…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to determine the behaviors, attitudes, and levels of understanding among faculty, staff, and students in efforts to design programs aimed at reducing energy use in University of Michigan (UM) buildings. Design/methodology/approach: A multi-method approach is used in five diverse pilot buildings including focus…

Despite growing interest in the condition of school facilities as a dimension of school finance adequacy, reliable measures of capital stock for large samples of schools are hard to come by. In this article, we offer new methods for (a) measuring the existing capital stock of public schools, (b) defining adequacy in school facilities, and (c)…

Describes two novel ways to accommodate new student populations: (1) building small, house-style classroom buildings in developing residential areas (in Flint, Michigan); and (2) using modular classrooms that can be dismantled and attached to other schools as the population shifts (in Montgomery County, Maryland). (MLH)

Describes the main structural features of a new high school built using component building systems. (DN)

Describes how a Michigan school district transformed several free-standing, "warm-weather" high school buildings into clustered areas connected by enclosed corridors. Space is now grouped by instructional area or the use of related equipment, and the building shell is tight and energy-efficient. (MLH)

Two logic models are presented to explain voter turnout and voter choice for a referendum considering a millage increase to finance a new high school building. The models incorporate attitudinal, demographic, and economic variables. This approach suggests that interested parties (like school officials) can influence referendum outcomes. Includes…

Environmental allergens are major triggers for pediatric asthma. While children's greatest exposure to indoor allergens is in the home, other public places where children spend a large amount of time, such as school and day care centers, may also be sources of significant allergen encounters. The purpose of this article is to describe schoolroom…

Career and technical education (CTE) in Michigan is delivered in a variety of ways. St. Joseph County, Michigan, uses a comprehensive high school to serve all its CTE students. St. Joseph County's delivery system requires visiting students to receive CTE instruction at a site that serves as a traditional high school setting for the home students.…

This bulletin was prepared to acquaint superintendents with changes that may occur in their administrative patterns because of the effect the steadily decreasing number of live births is having on the school population. The available methods of predicting future enrollments in a district are outlined, and the effects a decline may have on facility…