Put into perspective
Chief Operations Officer JD Mosley said enrollment trends as of Sept. 6 show elementary schools have the most space in terms of capacity, while secondary campuses have less space.
“We know that our elementary grade levels are the grade levels that have been hit hardest with the loss of enrollment,” he said.
Mosley explained that the options parents have of charter schools, home schools or other forms of alternative schooling is one of the main reasons these schools are losing enrollment.
For facilities, staff looks at data on the quality of the buildings, such as roofing; heating, ventilation and air conditioning; paint; and other maintenance.
Staff also collects data on the remaining life of equipment at campuses to determine the timeline in which replacements need to be made.
Using HVAC as an example, staff said over the next six years, the district will spend an estimated $36 million on replacements, if following a long-range replacement plan.
Totaling all projects presented by staff, the estimated costs of needs over the next five years would be around $121 million.
“One of the worst things about the [maintenance and operations] budget is that we can take care of the operations, but maintenance suffers,” Finley said.
Mosley said the issues are mostly the need for equipment replacements rather than needing to further maintain outdated equipment.
“Our maintenance staff and custodial staff have always done a great job at getting our campuses ready, and taking care of our campuses to the best that they can,” he said.
Superintendent Paige Meloni said staff will continue to look at items to see how they can be addressed, with the goal of planning for long-term needs to set the district up for success in the future.
