Long Range Facility Plan Keeps District 34 Board Informed

In an effort to plan ahead as best they can, Glenview School District 34 board members listened to a detailed presentation earlier this week that outlined what the district's short and long term facility needs are.

The presentation, known as the Long Range Facility Plan (LRFP), mapped out for board members in great detail what repairs, replacements or updates are expected to be needed at each of the district's eight schools from now until the fiscal year 2017.

For example, if there is a boiler at Glen Grove School that needs to or is due to be replaced, the estimated cost and associated fees are listed in the reoprt, as just one example. Or if a roof at Springman Junior High needed to be replaced, those costs would be in the report for the public and school board to know about in advance, as well.

Bob Lanzerotti, who is D34's Director of Facilities and Grounds, was also informed by school board members that they would like to see him make a similar updated presentation to them at least once a year from now on.

"This is a planning tool only," District 34 Assistant Superintendent of Business Services, Mary Werling, said. "But I think you will find it a very valuable tool for the District."

According to documentation provided by the school board, the LRFP "has been developed as a tool for the administration to utilize in order to forecast potential capital needs. This plan is a proactive approach rather than a reactive approach for allocating resources for creating an optimal setting for increased student learning."

In other words, D34 officials are putting an added emphasis on planning ahead, in addition to transparency. In fact, the school board will eventually post most of the LRFP on its web site for the public to see, which includes detailed estimated costs down the road.

And while the LRFP has no official legal standing, it was such a large collection of information that included facts, trends, reports and suggestions, that Lanzerotti has a binder that was at least six inches thick detailing all the work that had been done looking into the state of each of the schools.

The schools included that were studied as part of the plan, and their corresponding enrollments are:

• Glen Grove (570)
• Henking (571)
• Hoffman (566)
• Lyon (495)
• Pleasant Ridge (485)
• Westbrook (527)
• Attea Middle School (840)
• Springman Junior High (896)

Specific goals outlined

According to documentation from the meeting, the goals of the improvement plan are to:

• Define current and future facility needs based on current operating programs.
• Provide a balanced program for capital improvements given anticipated funding revenues over a five year planning period.
• Provide a plan for capital improvements, which can be used in preparing the capital budget for the next five years.
• Inform community members in a transparent manner of the immediate and future capital needs and expenditures of the district.
• Allow for a systematic evaluation of all potential projects at the same time.
• Aid in the ability to stabilize debt and consolidate projects to reduce borrowing costs. 

"We have been experiencing increases in student enrollment and costs," Werling said. "This is yet another tool to assist us with planning and preparing (for those things)."

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