Contracting for school maintenance in Vancouver (Washington) has improved custodial care and provided more than 20 CETA jobs while saving money. (Author/WD)

Presents indicators to determine if windows should be replaced, and information about new types of windows available. (MLF)

The savings were effected in the areas of transportation, maintenance, and operations. (IRT)

Suggests policy guidelines for protecting a district's floor covering investment. (WM)

Hiring private contractors to manage school support services, such as food, maintenance, and busing, is a growing trend. Companies such as Marriott Corp., ServiceMaster, ARA Services, and Laidlaw Transit report that school business is steadily increasing. Unions staunchly oppose privatization. This article balances advantages and disadvantages,…

Outlines the cost-saving decisions made by an Oregon school district as it faced a decreasing student population over the past 10 years. The district developed a resource management system that involved all levels of management, including the school board. (MD)

By using an energy audit, the Cheyenne Mountain School District No. 12 (Colorado) identified fuel-consuming areas in its schools and reduced the annual increases for fuel from 25 to 5 percent. Six steps to energy savings will work for other districts as well. (JW)

Examines the objectives and functions of school maintenance and presents an organizational chart for a school district maintenance department. Asserts that programed maintenance'' and the utilization of data processing techniques are not to be regarded as luxury budget items. (WM)

After a study of 3,000 classrooms in 130 schools in 16 states, the Environmental Protection Agency urged all schools to conduct tests for radon. Explains a 6-step screening test, methods of reducing radon concentrations, and how the risk from radon exposure compares with other risks. (MLF)

School systems should test the air in every school building for the presence and level of contaminants such as radon and asbestos and whether the ventilation system is circulating the proper amount of air. Periodic maintenance is required for all mechanical systems. (MLF)

Claims that school maintenance budgets should be organized into no more than three categories: buildings; equipment repair and replacement; and grounds and outdoor facilities. Several simple budgeting formulas are provided. (WM)

New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani's recent private-school voucher proposal has strained his close collaboration with Chancellor Rudolf F. Crew. Shackled by its immensity and complexity, the system has too many failing schools and students. Higher Regents standards, disappearing principal tenure, and lagging school repairs may further erode public…

A North Carolina school district has faced severe budget constraints; however, the school food service, transportation, and facilities departments have effectively cut costs and improved efficiency. Includes a list of 40 ways to save school dollars, updated from a 1978 publication of this journal. (MLF)

Most school systems can cut the costs of many of their programs and operations and thereby save an imperiled program or uncover funding for new or expanded programs. Presents examples of creative cost-cutting in plant operations and maintenance, administration, employee benefits, transportation, and teacher employment. (MLF)

Describes a technique developed over the last 15 years in conjunction with South Carolina school districts to help them set priorities when addressing school building needs. Identifies five factors that are used to measure the overall impact of an individual facilities project in relation to other projects, thereby ranking projects according to an…