Essentials Magazine Essentials Fall 2019 | Page 19

Master Planning
solve, a district can then move for-
ward with a comprehensive master
plan. Most master plans involve
common components however,
each district should customize the
process to fit their specific per-
sonality, desired outcomes, and to
remedy their targeted concerns.
The majority of plans include the
following five elements:
1. Data Gathering : Be pre-
pared to dig everything out of the
archives. If a district is working
with a consultant to complete a
master plan, that firm will need de-
tailed information such as building
and site plans, the district’s strate-
gic plan, utility bills, and emergen-
cy preparedness and health-life-
safety reports, just to name a few.
2. Enrollment Projections:
Most districts prepare state reports
annually, and therefore have a solid
understanding of short-term enroll-
ment projections. When undertak-
ing a facilities master plan, the need
to forecast ten+ years out often
calls for an independent demog-
rapher to be hired by the district.
This long-term knowledge becomes
increasingly important if there is
noticeable enrollment growth or
decline, specifically to establish
planning thresholds around student
enrollment trends.
3. Curriculum & Instruction:
Educators are amazing profes-
sionals and can function in almost
any environment. A primary goal
throughout a master planning
process is to define the type of
environment learners will best
excel given the district’s curriculum
and delivery now and in the future.
By understanding the preferred
instruction delivery model, a
master plan effectively aligns the
physical environment with curricu-
lum. For example, space needs for
project-based learning are much
different that space needs for a
traditionally delivered curriculum.
4. Facilities Condition
Assessments: An assessment of
each facility’s building components,
including the roof, windows, and
mechanical systems, will assist in
quantifying the remaining life-cy-
cle of items and estimating a cost
for replacement. This information
can be merged with new space
needs based on educational goals
to give each building a Facilities
Condition Index (FCI) which helps
to determine the cost effectiveness
of renovating an existing building
or constructing a new facility.
5. Energy and Sustainabil-
ity: Utility costs are a significant
portion of any district’s budget, and
creating a plan to make facilities
more efficient also entails making
buildings healthier. Master plans
can address Indoor Air Quality
(IAQ) issues, lighting upgrades, and
physical comfort to ultimately make
learning environments better for all
occupants.
Stakeholder Participation
Master plan components and ele-
ments vary district to district, but the
one constant is stakeholder participa-
tion. Involving the greater communi-
ty in the planning process is critical
to ensure that multiple viewpoints
are brought to the table and heard in
a transparent manner. Plus, gather-
ing a community of internal (admin-
istrators, staff, students) and external
(parents, volunteers, business) stake-
holders to collaborate often leads to
greater consensus of the plan.
The pinnacle of community
and district collaboration is often
reached with the formation of a
core group committee. This com-
mittee consists of diverse voices
throughout the district and is
charged with thoroughly under-
standing district issues and goals,
prioritizing needs over wants, and
considering different facility options
and costs. The core group’s pri-
mary task is to review and analyze
community input throughout the
process and to make a formal plan
recommendation to district lead-
ership and the school board. The
final plan includes a recommended
budget and implementation time-
line, which will vary based on the
complexity of issues to be solved
and the amount of community par-
ticipation involved.
When you get to the point of
planting that seed because issues
need to be addressed, don’t feel like
your district has to go it alone. Con-
tact other school districts to learn
what they’ve done and reach out
to a K-12 educational planning and
design firm that can help customize
and lead your district through the
process. Most of all, take a deep
breath and know that having larger
conversations with the community is
a good thing; as the benefits out-
weigh the negatives when it comes
to planning educational environ-
ments that are right-sized, efficient,
healthy, and future-ready for both
your educators and learners. n
SARA GUYETTE, AIA, EFP, LEED AP,
brings a wealth of experience from both
the design and district perspective. In
addition to
being an
experienced
architect, she
previously
served as
facilities di-
rector at mul-
tiple school
districts in
Minnesota,
overseeing
capital projects, facility master planning,
and facility operations and maintenance.
Sara leads DLR Group’s K-12 Education
practice serving school district clients
in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota,
North Dakota, and Wisconsin.
essentials | www.edmarket.org 19