Big bang for the buck: Clovis USD has passed five school bond measures since 1986, leading to school building experiences that have run the gamut, garnering both design awards and construction lawsuits. Here, they share some lessons

Leadership, May-June, 2004 by James Bushman, C. Testa Ken

Current law allows districts to hire a construction manager instead of a general contractor. A construction manager serves as the district's agent in overseeing the construction. The district is then allowed to bid out different portions of the job directly to subcontractors, who sign contracts with the district. This means subcontractors are directly responsible to the district (and/or the construction manager agent), which allows for better communication and accountability between all parties

Jerry Walker, CUSD director of construction and engineering services and an experienced former CUSD board member and construction company owner, oversees all construction projects in the district. Yet for large projects, the district will still hire a construction manager rather than a general contractor to do the job. The decision to hire a construction manager or go with the conventional general contractor should be arrived at jointly by the district and the architect.

The fifth step is to take occupancy and make sure everything starts up well. Darden speaks of the importance of bringing school principals on the sites early, so they can understand the benefits of the architectural design and facilities operations.

Oraze confesses that when he first began working on school building projects, the tradition was to complete schools around Labor Day, which did not give site administrators any time to get a new school off the ground. Now he plans projects, and controls the building process, so projects finish around June 1 (or sooner). A site principal has an entire summer to meet with parent clubs and the school community and enhance the opening of school.

The last step, Oraze says, is to take a school planning team back to a site three to six months after the project ends to talk to site personnel to determine what is working and what is not. Oraze said the post-occupancy evaluation process sometimes deals with "nothing more than the little things, like where the soap dispenser or light switch is placed. But this is what we need to know as we modify plans for the next school."

School construction can be a worrisome enterprise. Schools of today are not like the simple schoolhouses of long ago. Furthermore, most school administrators come to their jobs via the teaching ranks and have little background in school construction. Fortunately, schools are still built one brick at a time, and when districts know how to plan and execute the process, they can create long-lasting and powerful instruments of education.

James Bushman is an educational researcher and learning director at Clovis High School (JamesBushman@ clovisusd.k12.ca.us). Ken C. Testa is a learning director at Clovis High School, as well as president of the Fresno County Charter ACSA Board (kentesta@cusd.com).