District Administration - June 2008 - (Page 38)

Cutting Costs from the Inside Out roughly that much per year to maintain it,” Johnson says. Some school districts are installing a new Forbo product, Marmoleum composition tile (MCT), which costs more up front—a guaranteed installation price up to $3.45 per square foot—but saves money long term because it’s easier to maintain, Johnson says. The name—Marmoleum— essentially means marbleized linoleum. Unlike vinyl tile, marbleized linoleum requires no costly stripping and recoating over its life and is anti-static, so dust and dirt do not stick to it, according to Forbo. Also, MCT combats MRSA, or staph infection, and other strains of bacteria, unlike VCT’s open seams that provide a breeding ground for bacteria. The marbleized linoleum is quieter underfoot than vinyl tile, and is more repairable from scratches, gouges and burns than vinyl. Johnson says Marmoleum is suitable for multipurpose rooms, corridors, classrooms and auxiliary gymnasiums. It’s “working out great” in the Norwalk La Mirada (Calif.) School District, which ripped out its old VCT tiles and installed Marmoleum in its multipurpose facilities two years ago, says John Wysocki, the district’s maintenance and operations manager. “I haven’t had one failure yet— no sliding tiles, no goo coming through,” Wysocki says. It cost up to 40 percent more than vinyl tile to install, but without having to strip and wax it, maintenance savings have made it so worthwhile that the district, with 35 schools, is installing it now in all its kitchens and portable restrooms, Wysocki reports. Other districts are using another ﬂooring product, RexCourt, for gyms and multipurpose rooms. Its features include a polyurethane coating that reduces maintenance costs and an antibacterial surface coating that provides a healthy environment, particularly in a gym, says Rich Campbell, executive vice president of Gerbert Limited, the U.S. distributor for RexCourt, which is manufactured by LG Corp., a Korean conglomerate. The Dysart (Ariz.) Uniﬁed School District has RexCourt in gyms in all of its 19 schools. “We used to use VCT, which requires a lot of work with the maintenance. With RexCourt, we go in once or twice a week and run over it with the auto scrubber and it’s done,” reports Bob Young, the district’s director of maintenance and facilities. Young acknowledges that RexCourt costs more up front—about $30,000 more per site than vinyl tile—but “it pays for itself over the years.” The additional cost includes waterprooﬁng beneath the ﬂooring “to make sure we don’t have any moisture problems,” he says. Other ﬂooring producers include Johnsonite, which claims its linoleum can save up to 30 percent on maintenance and 50 percent on water, detergents and energy over its lifetime. District Administration “The eCollege platform allows teachers and students to interact in a variety of ways within one, easy-to-use system.” Heather Novak, Social Studies Teacher, BlueSky Charter School eCollege provides an intuitive and feature-rich teaching platform that is loaded with efficient communication tools that connect students to each other and to their courses. eCollege combines an innovative course management system with personal services to create powerful eLearning partnerships. Visit www.eClassroom.com/distadmin 38 June 2008 http://www.eClassroom.com/distadmin http://www.eClassroom.com/distadmin

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of District Administration - June 2008

District Administration - June 2008
Contents
Editor’s Letter
Letters
News Update
Technology Update
Inside the Law
Conversations
Online Edge
Speaking Out
Professional Opinion
Crisis Response
Administrator Profile
District Profile
Cutting Costs from the Inside Out
New Literacies: Entering the Future
Online Videoconferencing
Achievement Today
Transporting Special Needs Students
How Well Does This Web Site Work?
New Products
Problem/Solution
Calendar of Events
Understanding the Times

District Administration - June 2008