Schools out, repairs in

For students, summer has traditionally been a highly anticipated break from the classroom.

As noted education observer Alice Cooper explained many years ago: “No more pencils, no more books. No more teachers’ dirty looks.”

But for education administrators and facility planners, summer is the season to get things done in the buildings and on the grounds. As one educator likes to joke, “We could get a lot of work done around here if it weren’t for these students.”

That is definitely true for building upgrades. If you’re trying to fix a leaky classroom window or paint a school corridor, wouldn’t you rather do it when there aren’t hundreds of students tromping through the hallways wondering what you’re up to? So school administrators try to fit in many of their repair and renovation projects during the summer break.

Workers can carry out their projects—often loud and distracting, sometimes dangerous—without having to worry about interfering with teaching or learning, or risking the safety of students and teachers. Major construction projects may be too lengthy to confine to the summer, but many needed upgrades can be accommodated while classrooms are empty: upgrading HVAC systems, repairing roofs and windows, repainting classrooms, installing security cameras and access control systems, upgrading plumbing and electrical equipment, repaving parking lots.

Scheduling facility upgrades during the summer break is not without potential drawbacks. The demand for workers and materials in the peak summer construction season may result in higher costs; the pressure to stay on schedule is greater because the work must be completed before students return.

Another change that has made it more difficult to carry out repair and renovation during the summer break is the summer break itself—it’s not what it used to be.

Some of us are old enough to remember summer recesses that began shortly after Memorial Day, and classes didn’t resume until after Labor Day. Now, in an effort to improve learning for students, schools have added days to the instructional calendar. Many districts now bring back their students in early to mid-August, and some even in July.

So when school’s out for only part of the summer, it doesn’t leave a lot of time to get things done.

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Contact Heather Buzzard at [email protected] or visit SchoolDesigns.com for information.