he times they are a-changin'– six words from a Bob Dylan song seem to wrap up the past decade of procurement. In the beginning, an IFB (invitation for bid) or RFP (request for proposal) was created for everything that our schools needed. We toiled o
School districts can improve student performance by reducing overcrowding, building new facilities and bringing in higher qualified teachers. Any one of the three techniques will work. Used together, the results can be spectacular in elementary schools an
PBK recently completed the new classroom building and conference center at Collin College's Preston Ridge Campus. "If I could use one word to describe the Preston Ridge project, it's 'flexibility,'" says Whittingstall.
The U.S. Department of Energy's Building Technologies Program recently released a report noting that new building products and technologies are both here and on the horizon that can only give school administrators hope for future reduced energy consumptio
Responding to the repeated failure of reauthorization proposals, the Obama administration instituted the waiver program in February of this year. In addition to the 33 states and the District of Columbia that already hold waivers, four additional states h
From the delivery person to the volunteer parent, people visit school facilities every day. Often, regular visitors become familiar to school staff, faculty, even students. But with increased security, familiarity is no longer an acceptable method of mana
Day cleaning can be cost effective and practical in any cleaning environment. As long as you have dedication, a manageable cleaning standard with training and support from upper management, it can be easy as one, two, three.
Smartphones and tablets are in use from kindergarten to college campuses. What's important about integrating these devices into the classroom includes not only the infrastructure to support wireless access, but also the support and information availa
Spectacular? not particularly. Important? No doubt. Maintenance and operations (M&O) buildings of various sizes and types are workplaces for key K-12 district workers. Inevitably, those buildings must be renovated and new ones constructed. What are so
If you have doubts about the signs in your schools currently, or if you are planning signs for a new school, here's how to think about the art and science of signs.
Printers and copiers do a lot more than output documents. They can eat up resources when poorly managed or offer an all-in-one solution when properly purchased. Print infrastructure is changing, as administrators look for alternatives and providers that c
The election will provide some distinct choices for voters on education policy, investment and support of education programs, and how dollars will be structured and delivered to states and districts. This goes for both the presidential and congressional r
The SRO is the positive image of police for our young people. The value of our youth seeing police in a positive light at such an early age is beneficial for the future, and hopefully we are teaching our kids and young adults to have a greater respect for
The ability of any staff member in a school to implement the lockdown process during the first critical 30 seconds of an event no matter which employee becomes aware of the threat, where they are in the school or the nature of the threat is
When classes end for the summer break, the facility director and custodial staff race to get the carpet, vinyl tile, concrete, rubber and other kinds of flooring across the district back in shape for next year, which, of course, is only a couple months aw
And with much, and varying, activity in bustling school libraries, comes a considerable amount of wear and tear to furniture. Issues such as budgetary constraints and changes in how school libraries are being used complicate the process of replacing that
While the Federal Communications Commission's (FCC's) narrowbanding mandate may seem like one more bothersome chore, some school officials view it as a way to upgrade safety and security across the district.
Successful school safety preparedness means looking ahead to what could happen, then figuring out how to deal with it. That's how foreknowledge is gained. While some people live in denial of the dangers schools face, those whose duty is to protect ou
Like a complex problem, designing the Forum required collaboration, conversation and concentration. The science department knew exactly what it did not want: predictable or distracting hallways or public space. Critical listening and design dialogue allow
Not too long ago, students used to leave their cell phones and other devices at home, or they had to turn the devices off before class started. Now, mobile technology is often welcomed in the classroom as a way to open up learning and move beyond the trad