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New Schools, Old Schools, Safe Schools

  • By Jerry Enderle
  • 06/01/17

GROUNDBREAKING NEWS

As I was working on the News & Views section of this issue, I noticed that I had about nine press releases or articles about groundbreaking ceremonies for PK-12 facilities. (In fact, two more came in while I was finishing this column.) Unfortunately, we did not have enough space to publish every one of them. My point is this: If my memory serves me correctly, it has been nearly 10 years since I have had the problem of not enough space to publish news about project starts. Is this an indication of an increase in school construction projects or simply a coincidence that all of the groundbreaking news came in the same few weeks this year? Let’s hope it is the former and not the latter.

Taking Care of What We Have — The U.S. Department of Education estimates that the average school building in our country is 44 years old. Our cover story focuses on one of those schools, and how, through a modernization project, the facility has not only been brought up to 21stcentury standards, but it now has an extended lifespan of 30 to 50 years and the revitalization of the school has renewed the spirit of its community.

The Education Budget — In this month’s Washington Update column, Fritz Edelstein provides details and some clarification concerning education and related funding in the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2017. This column is a very abbreviated version of his Washington Update that ran in our Facilities & Design Newsletter a couple of weeks ago. You can access that version on our website, webSPM.com.

Safe & Secure — The special section in this issue focuses on keeping our schools safe and secure. Mike Dorn writes about how building design and the use of smart technology can help prevent instances of sexual abuse and molestation. The second article in the section, written by two architects from Bailey Edwards, give examples of how they used design elements, during a facility conversion, to create a more secure environment.

A Reminder — Our next issue is dated July/August, so you won’t receive another issue of School Planning & Management until August.

Enjoy your summer.

This article originally appeared in the issue of .

Featured

  • Round Rock ISD Completes New Early College High School

    Round Rock ISD near Austin, Texas, recently announced that construction is complete on a new, 46,500-square-foot campus for Early College High School, according to a news release. The new facility will allow the school’s students and staff to move from portables into a permanent building and increase its enrollment to 500.

  • Zurn Elkay Releases 2025 Sustainability Report

    Zurn Elkay Water Solutions recently announced the release of its annual sustainability report, according to a news release. The 2025 report discusses the organization’s efforts to maintain good environmental stewardship and the solutions provided in helping customers meet sustainability goals.

  • Illinois State University Breaks Ground on College of Fine Arts Transformation

    Illinois State University in Normal, Ill., recently held a groundbreaking ceremony for the Wonsook Kim College of Fine Arts transformation project, according to university news. The series of new constructions and renovations will upgrade spaces in Centennial East, the Center for the Visual Arts, and the Center for the Performing Arts, as well as replace the existing Centennial West facility with a new Commons Building.

  • Chartwells Launches Campus Dining Evaluation Framework

    Contract food-service management provider Chartwells Higher Education recently announced the launch of BLUEPRINT, according to a news release. The evaluation framework was designed to provide a data-driven and customizable roadmap towards optimizing campus dining services and, by extension, the student experience.