Facilities and Maintenance Facts and Figures

• More than two-thirds of GCS facilities (school and administrative buildings) are more than 30 years old.

• GCS consists of 338 total buildings. Of those, 16 (five percent) were originally built in the 1920’s.

• Ninety-one GCS buildings (27 percent) were originally built in the 1950’s. After 30 years, a facility needs minor renovations. At 50 years, buildings need major renovations.

• Since 2000, the district has grown by almost 9,000 students. Capital outlay funds for preventative maintenance, repairs and renovations have not kept pace with growth, or the increasing need for repairs and renovations caused by aging facilities.

• If the capital outlay budget is reduced to $4 million, Archer Elementary may not receive necessary air conditioning upgrades. In the classrooms, the comfort of the students is compromised, so a contingency plan was developed for End-of-Grade testing to relocate students. The school’s cafeteria is not air conditioned, creating difficult conditions for students and staff members.

• In the full capital outlay budget, Hunter Elementary is primed to get an air conditioning upgrade. The students and staff at the school, which was originally built in 1927, must currently use window units in the main building, making classrooms difficult to cool. Some classrooms have fans that were installed years ago, but many don’t work anymore. The design of the school features big windows which can be opened for a breeze, but without screens, doing so opens the classroom to insects. Open windows also carry disruptive sounds from Merritt Drive.  Therefore, during testing, all windows must be closed to prevent any distractions.

• At Gateway Education Center, a budget cut means a key instructional area may not get re-paved. The outdoor instructional area is a concrete pad utilized by students undergoing physical therapy. The area offers students a place to use their own muscles in a protected area. Without these renovations, the area isn’t safe enough for children to get stronger. It also isn’t safe enough to host very special arts – a partnership between Weaver Academy and Gateway students where Weaver students teach art, music, dance and literacy.

• In order to replace current mobile classrooms, 647 new classrooms are needed. This does not factor in the need to replace aging facilities, reduce overcrowding and accommodate future growth.

• When budgets are reduced, projects are cut but the needs continue to grow. For example, a $200,000 roof leak that goes unrepaired may cause $50,000 worth of damage to a gym floor. The $200,000 project could end up costing $250,000, for example.
  
  
• Necessary renovations include upgrades for science and technology needs that weren’t envisioned when schools were built decades ago.
  
  
• The GCS Department of Maintenance completes approximately 40,000 work orders a year.
  
  
• Between 1960 and 1990, there was very little construction in the district, so the Department of Maintenance is tasked with fixing old buildings with antiquated HVAC systems and leaking roofs using limited budgets.
  
  
• A cut in funding could impact the following projects:
  • Roofing repairs (numerous sites with leaks)
  • HVAC upgrades/renovations/repairs (2008 School Bonds limited site funding)
  • Flooring repairs-i.e. gym floor replacement, asbestos tile replacement, multi-purpose room flooring upgrades, classroom/media center carpet repair/replacement
  • Health and safety – i.e. lead paint remediation, fire code upgrades/repairs, etc.
  • American Disability Act accessibility upgrade projects
  • Matching school funds for needed repairs
  • Mobile unit repairs
  • Window/door replacements
  • Camera system installations
  • A $3 million cut in budget causes more maintenance projects to be deferred. Therefore, the final costs of these projects become much higher.
• During the last two years, between 50 and 60 percent of our projects under $30,000 – many of which are the maintenance projects that may go deferred if these dollars are lost – are awarded to historically underutilized businesses-minority and women owned business enterprises (MWBEs). Deferring the smaller projects may translate into larger capital projects, which typically produce lower MWBE participation rates.

• During the last two years, between 50 and 60 percent of capital expenditures within the Department of Maintenance were awarded to local firms. Cutting capital dollars will take away from these firms and the local economy.
  
  
• Certain types of life-saving equipment, including sprinklers, fire alarms, emergency generators and security systems demand immediate attention and testing, which leaves very little leftover for program concerns.