CARY, N.C. (December 16, 2008) — The Association of School Business Officials International (ASBO) and SchoolDude.com recently announced that eight school districts received the 2008 Facilities Masters Award, the pinnacle of a program designed to recognize and reward districts that meet national standards for excellence in facilities and maintenance operations.

Since the program's inception in 2005, ASBO International has awarded the Facilities Masters Award to 24 districts from the United States and Canada. In 2008, one district gained recognition for a fourth consecutive year, three districts received honors for a third time, two districts claimed a second award, and two new districts added their names to the list of winners:

• Newark Public Schools, NJ (2005–2008)

• Lewisville Independent School District, TX (2006–2008)

• Richland School District 2, SC (2006–2008)

• Solanco School District, PA (2006–2008)

• Northbrook School District 27, IL (2007–2008)

• Wake County Public School System, NC (2006, 2008)

• Guilford County Schools, NC (2008)

• Springfield R-12 Public Schools, MO (2008)

Sponsored by SchoolDude.com, ASBO International's Facilities Masters Award program provides national accolade for school districts that have achieved exemplary performance in areas such as facilities maintenance planning, facility audits, environmental safety, maintenance and management, evaluating facility maintenance efforts and exemplary practices. ASBO International and SchoolDude created the award program in an effort to help educational operations professionals develop outstanding facility maintenance programs despite the steady decline in maintenance and operations budgets.

Roger Young, past chairman of the ASBO Facilities Committee, said, "The purposes of the Facilities Masters Award program are to improve the maintenance of school facilities, promote best facilities maintenance practices, help build the skills of plant managers and school business officials, and recognize school districts that have achieved the highest standards in facilities maintenance."

Third-time award winner Larry Williams, assistant superintendent of facilities and construction for Lewisville ISD in Texas, said, "I believe the Facilities Masters Award has given the district great creditability within the community to show that the district is responsible in the stewardship of monies. I am proud of this recognition from ASBO, and our district views it as significant."

The foundation of the Facilities Masters Award program includes national best practices established in the Planning Guide for Maintaining School Facilities. Created by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), the National Forum for Education Statistics and ASBO International, the publication is designed to help educational professionals develop, implement and evaluate a facilities maintenance plan. The Planning Guide focuses on maintenance as a vital task and offers guidance through recommended best practices.

Using guidelines from the Planning Guide, Facilities Masters Award applicants gain valuable insight into how their facility operations programs compare to national standards for excellence. All applicants receive feedback and recommendations on their districts' facility programs, and applicants who meet or exceed the award criteria receive the prestigious Facilities Masters Award. With no limit on the number of annual winners or on the number of times districts may receive the award, applicants are encouraged to reapply each year to be recognized for their exemplary facility management programs.

Kimberly Arakelian, assistant superintendent for finance and operations for Northbrook School District 27 in Illinois, and two-time winner of the award, said, "Applying for the award last year was an extremely beneficial process to go through to articulate what we are doing as a district in terms of working toward meeting best practices in facilities management. We were even more excited about applying again this year so that we could monitor and show growth in terms of what areas we have improved in and what goals we can look forward to in the future."

Lee Prevost, president and co-founder of SchoolDude, said, "We at SchoolDude are pleased to be able to take part in a program that recognizes accountability and excellence in school operations and rewards those who work to maintain superior facilities, which play an important part in enhancing student performance."

To learn more about how the Facilities Masters Award program can help school districts maintain quality facilities for enhancing student performance, visit www.asbointl.org/FacilitiesAwards. For more information on facilities best practices outlined in the Planning Guide for Maintaining School Facilities, visit www.asbointl.org or http://nces.ed.gov to download a copy of the document.

About ASBO International
The Association of School Business Officials International, founded in 1910, is a professional organization of around 6,000 members that provides programs and services to those in school business. ASBO promotes the highest standards of school business management practices and provides professional growth opportunities to achieve the most effective use of resources in the education of children. For more information about ASBO International, visit www.asbointl.org.

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