District Administration - January 2009 - (Page TP36)

facilities Winners top100 DA Readers’ Choice products 2008 Secure, Healthy and Energy Efficient Aging buildings and an ambitious Obama administration mean that school facilities products are more important than ever. By Kurt O. Dyrli n its repOrt CarD fOr america’s infrastructure, the american society of Civil engineers gave public school facilities a “D” grade in 2005 and claimed then that it would take more than $268 billion of renovations and construction to bring them up to good condition. since then, the nea has claimed that over $320 billion is needed. The average age of public schools is now estimated to be 45 years, with 45 percent built between 1950 and 1969, while 2008 saw a record enrollment of nearly 50 million students. The nea puts it bluntly: “america’s schools are in desperate need of repair and renovation,” while citing recent studies linking the quality of facilities with the level of student achievement. The american association of school administrators surveyed superintendents from 48 states in December, who identified $6.52 billion in new construction projects and $4.49 billion in renovation and repair projects that could be immediately undertaken in their districts if they were provided with the necessary funds. Change Is Coming Barack Obama has repeatedly emphasized school construction as part of his overall infrastructure job creation plan to jumpstart the economy. “We’ll put people back to work rebuilding our crumbling roads and bridges, [and] modernizing schools that are failing our i children,” Obama said in a recent radio address, while also pledging to install more broadband access for school districts nationwide. The new administration is planning to immediately propose a $25 billion Jobs and Growth fund, in part to ensure that schools can meet their energy costs and undertake key repairs starting in fall 2009. This perfect storm of political and economic conditions, as well as energy and environmental concerns, has ironically created an unprecedented opportunity for the improvement of public school facilities, and the need for making informed decisions about school facilities products has perhaps never been greater. Security among our facilities winners are security products, as security continues to be a top priority for administrators. simplexGrinnell’s truealert messaging system, for example, can instantly display crucial information on an leD screen in a school building during an emergency. in addition, surveillance camera systems such as those from sony and Honeywell are becoming increasingly common. They broadcast a high image quality and have become more affordable and easier to use. Devices like Ge security’s Mobiletrace enable users to detect dangerous or illicit substances like never before, and even low-tech yet ingenious security solutions like Data Management’s One Day Visitor pass have helped administrators to secure their facilities. Energy The rising cost of energy has driven administrators to look for ways to use less energy, lower utility bills, create less waste, and improve the atmosphere of their district facilities. using products such as liteControl’s radi-X lighting design and Bard Manufacturing’s Quiet Climate 2 on a districtwide basis can substantially reduce energy use and costs. Food Service in the food service sector, new technologies such as food service solutions’ fingerprint scanner streamline the lunch purchasing process while also ensuring accuracy and avoiding lost or stolen funds. interflex Bidadvantage for schools enables administrators to more efficiently carry out food service bidding processes by doing them entirely online. and growing concerns about childhood obesity and diabetes have led to school nutrition policy changes, revising lunch menus, and removing junk food and soda vending machines and, in many cases, replacing them with machines such as yonaturals Healthy Vending models. Kurt O. Dyrli is products editor. 36 January 2009 Top 100 Products

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of District Administration - January 2009

District Administration - January 2009
Contents
Editor’s Letter
Letters
News Update
Security
Facilities & Construction
Administrator Profile
District Profile
Conversations
Leadership Books
Research Center
District Web Site Essentials
The Second Annual X-Factor Student Achievement Grant
Social Studies for the 21st Century
Tech Disruptions
Professional Opinion
New Products
Product Focus
Understanding the Times

District Administration - January 2009