Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

The Time Has Come for Us to Say 'Sayonara'

  • By Jerry Enderle
  • 06/01/19

If you are old enough to remember this tune from the ‘50s, you are either retired or about to. (If you remember it from MASH, that’s cheating.) After more than 45 years in the publishing world, and nearly 20 with these magazines, it’s time for me to take another path.

I will miss many of the people I have worked with over the years in the magazines’ various offices, and I will miss working with and for you, our readers. Your dedication to improving our schools and colleges so they better serve the students, teachers, and staffs is important, commendable, and underappreciated. You have been an inspiration, and I thank you.

Who Will Replace You?

Regarding this position, I do not have that answer, but it seems providential that this was part of a discussion I had recently when I attended the NFMT conference—a gathering of the people who maintain and keep our nation’s facilities operating. The question came from Jim Zirbel, the co-director of an organization called FM Pipeline. He is concerned about the future staffing needs for facility/plant managers. His point is that we are not encouraging our students to consider this essential vocation as they prepare for their careers. His solution is a program called Facilithon, which operates through SkillsUSA. We had a short, five-minute conversation, so I cannot vouch for the program, but based on what he had to say and the research I have done, his concern is valid and this solution seems to be a good start. I think it is worth exploring. You can do that at www.fmpipeline.org.

A Final Petition

A common theme of my columns has been the decrepit state of our nation’s school buildings and the fact that they have a direct impact on student learning, student and staff health, and school finances. Currently, there is a bipartisan movement to deal with infrastructure issues. Schools need to be a priority in these discussions. If you are looking for ways to help change that, you can find some suggestions at The 21st Century School Fund’s website, www.21csf.org.

I wish you, and those who come after you, great success. Sayonara.

This article originally appeared in the School Planning & Management June 2019 issue of Spaces4Learning.

Featured

  • nursing students talk while studying in a hallway

    Elsevier Launches VR Simulation Solution for Nursing Students

    Elsevier has introduced Shadow Health Lab with Virtual Reality, a simulation platform that allows nursing students to interact with virtual patients and build clinical judgment skills in a safe, realistic environment.

  • Minnesota District Converts Middle School into Community Hub

    White Bear Lake Area Schools in White Bear Lake, Minn., recently announced the end of a major renovation project that converted a former middle school into a new centralized district and community hub, according to a news release.

  • Year-Round Schools Require Year-Round Indoor Air Quality Planning

    While many schools are out for the summer, year-round schools follow a more “balanced” schedule with shorter, more frequent breaks spaced throughout the school year. Even though this offers educational benefits, these facilities have less downtime for building maintenance. This can become an issue when facilities managers overlook the importance of routine HVAC maintenance and air duct cleaning services.

  • Chicago District Completes Construction on New Elementary School

    North Chicago School District 187 in North Chicago, Ill., recently held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new Forrestal Elementary School, according to a news release. The new school marks a major investment in military-connected students and families at Naval Station Great Lakes.