Now What !?! part 2

For any of us who work with educational facilities the past few weeks have been a roller coaster or opportunity, promise and disappointment. We have watched the stimulus debate take a series of twists and turns and in the end has left funding for school renovation and construction out in the cold. So now what do we do? Our educational facility infrastructure is still as old and in need as it was on inauguration day. Our schools are limping along with few dollars available for facility maintenance let alone capital improvements. What can we do?

Set priorities
We all know that there are projects that need to happen regardless of the economic climate. Don’t loose sight of these priority projects. Here are a few ways to keep them on track.

Make a master list of all of the critical facilities projects in your school or district. Be realistic about how quickly these projects need to be completed and their potential cost. Once you have that list together identify which projects are Must Do, Should Do or Want to Do. Now you have your priority list. Start with the most critical Must Do project and go from there.

Revisit your constituents. The world has changed for so many people in the last two months. You should check in and make sure that people’s priorities are the same as they were a year ago. You may be surprised. A high profile project that had public support a year ago may now be seen as a weight on critical resources, or projects that seemed less important like roof replacement or boiler upgrades may now be viewed with a higher level of interest. Engage the public and let them know what are the critical priorities. Maintain your support through communication.

Look for new ways to pay for projects. There are still programs out there with funding for specific issues. For example the federal government has continued funding for E-Rate, a technology program that funds Internet and technology upgrades or services. They have also maintained Energy Star, a environmental program that funds equipment upgrades. Both can be used to help offset a portion of the costs of a priority project. Do some research on the funding programs that may help make your project more affordable.