SchoolDude

Awards Program Recognizes Excellence in Educational Facility Management

CARY, N.C. (January 4, 2008) - The Association of School Business Officials International (ASBO) and SchoolDude.com recently announced that twelve school districts received the 2007 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 24 districts from the United States and Canada with the Facilities Masters Award. In 2007, one of the original three districts, Newark Public Schools, gained recognition for a third time, and eight new districts added their names to the list of winners. First-time award recipients included: 

•·         School District of Palm Beach County, FL

•·         Northbrook School District 27, IL

•·         Davenport Community School District, IA

•·         Lee's Summit R-VII School District, MO

•·         School District of Lancaster, PA

•·         Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools, NC

•·         Katy Independent School District, TX

•·         York County School District, VA

School districts that earned the award for a second or third time included:

•·         Newark Public Schools, NJ (2005, 2006, 2007)

•·         Solanco School District, PA (2006 & 2007)

•·         Richland School District 2, SC (2006 & 2007)

•·         Lewisville Independent School District, TX (2006 & 2007)

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

First-time award winner Douglas Heurich, director of facilities for Northbrook School District 27 in Illinois said, "The application process is very rigorous, forcing the applicant to review their facility operations and put in writing exactly how they conduct their operations, but the requirement of submitting a substantial amount of background information and documentation helps validate the process and the school district's operations."

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 the guidelines from the Planning Guide, Facilities Masters Award applicants gain valuable insight into how their facility operations programs compare to national standards for excellence. Each award applicant receives feedback and recommendations on the district's facility program, and all 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.

Steve Morlino, executive director of facilities for Newark Public Schools in New Jersey, and three-time winner of the award, said, "The annual review and critique of our existing processes during the award application period has helped us improve each time we go through it - and  we continue to tweak our operation each time. The Planning Guide for Maintaining School Facilities, along with our interactive work order system, has kept us ahead of the pack."

Lee Prevost, president and co-founder of SchoolDude, said, "The SchoolDude team understands the need for an award that encourages and promotes accountability within school operations departments. We are pleased to be able to take part in a program that recognizes those who are devoted to excellence and excel in maintaining superior facilities which, in turn, enhances student performance."

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

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