EDUCATIONAL ADEQUACY ASSESSMENT EXECUTIVE SUMMARY DRAFT

Transcription

1 EDUCATIONAL ADEQUACY ASSESSMENT EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

2 Overview A critical component to functional equity across the broad spectrum of Boise Independent District is educational adequacy. is used as a comparative indicator to identify the relative programmatic needs of a facility, group of buildings, or an entire portfolio. Not only used as a way to compare facilities, an educational adequacy assessment is imperative to determine how well a renovated school will support teaching curriculum. The assessment is valuable when campuses are faced with renovation versus replacement. Decision makers must evaluate the cost trade-off using an educationally inferior facility for long term use. No one would want to spend millions of dollars renovating a facility with a low suitability score only to have a newly renovated, but educationally obsolete, school facility. An educational adequacy assessment evaluates how well a campus is equipped to deliver the current instructional curriculum. The assessment answers such questions as the following: Is the classroom the correct size? Are labs appropriately equipped? Does technology support the classroom activities? Are there adequate provisions for administration, guidance, and tutorial areas? Does the building include all of the spaces to deliver the desired educational program? Are the core spaces [cafeterias, gyms, library/media centers] present, of sufficient size, and appropriately equipped? Are the desired outdoor activities present Is there adequate separation of pedestrian, bus and parent drop off traffic to insure the safety of the student? There are several challenges in assessing educational adequacy. First is that programmatic needs change far quicker than the facilities themselves do. For example, many facilities built in the 1950s did not have a separate music and art room. These programs were held in the student s home room as art on a cart or on the stage of the multi-purpose room. Special education programs were not delivered in the regular public school and spaces have been retro-fitted with the proper restrooms, changing rooms, and specialty spaces required to serve that student population. Another challenge is elements that make up educational adequacy are difficult to quantify. For example, based on current educational specifications, each classroom should have natural lighting. This evaluation can be somewhat subjective depending on the assessor conducting the survey. 1 EDUCATIONAL ADEQUACY ASSESSMENT EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

3 Methodology In order to provide an educational adequacy assessment with objective and consistent results, a collection instrument was developed by DeJONG-RICHTER based on the Boise Independent District s most recent elementary, middle, and high school educational specifications. From February 29th through March 11th 2016, two teams, each consisting of two assessors and district personnel, conducted a survey of 32 elementary schools, 8 junior high schools, 4 high schools and 2 special/alternative schools and reviewed approximately 3.4 million square feet of educational space. A list of educational adequacy components was developed and utilized as a check list in order to rate each space. Instructional and non-instructional spaces were divided into the following categories: Core Academics [Kindergarten, regular grade level classrooms, science labs, preengineering, family & consumer sciences] Special Education [Life skills, intensive needs, support spaces, resource rooms] Visual Arts [Art, drawing & painting lab, digital media] Performing Arts [Music, choir, band, orchestra, drama] Physical Education [PE locker rooms, weight room, locker rooms, wrestling room] Shared Spaces [Gymnasium, cafeteria, media center, kitchen, aux gym] Site [parking, circulation, play areas and fields] *** above are example space types in each category but not all spaces types are listed Educational A percentage of by category can be determined based on the amount of square footage allocated to each category in the current educational specifications. In all cases, the greatest percentage or weight was allocated to the classroom clusters. The percentage of each category varies by survey since it is based on the square footage allocation. For example, at the elementary level the percentage for classroom clusters is 46%, but at the high school level the classroom percentage is 36%. This is due to the proportion of classroom square footage varying at different grade levels and sizes for a number of reasons including the following: Larger spaces allocated for gymnasiums, cafeterias and other core areas at the upper grade levels. Additional Specialty and Career Technical spaces at the upper grade levels. Additional spaces at the upper grade levels for extra-curricular activities such as competition gymnasiums and auditoriums. 2 EDUCATIONAL ADEQUACY ASSESSMENT EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

4 Space Type Requirements Assessors walked into every space in a facility to determine which categories from the previous page it fell under. Once inside the space the assessors looked for certain requirements which were created with the District to determine if a space was adequate for that type of instruction. The requirements were broken down into 5 categories: Electrical / lighting / mechanical Plumbing Technology Furnishings, fixtures, equipment Doors / windows / walls / flooring The table below lists all of the requirements. Again, not all requirements were checked in each space type, the requirements change depending on if you are assessing a science lab versus a P.E. Office. In the Educational Adequacy form each space type is then marked as Yes or No, stating whether or not the space has the necessary requirements and if that requirement is deemed adequate. As you can see from the list, some items are subjective and up to the discretion of the assessor. For example, sufficient storage casework, and access to direct natural light are up to the discretion of the assessors. We do use the same set of assessors completing each facility so that requirements may be compared against each other from facility to facility. This gives you a consistent measurement of each of the requirements for all facilities assessed. electrical / lighting / mechanical Quad outlets every 4-8 feet (220v outlet, GFCI, floor outlets where applicable) adjustable, overhead lighting Direct natural light Mechanical Ventilation (Exhaust Fan / Fume Hoods) plumbing sinks toilets emergency shut off (Gas) convenience shut off (Gas and / or Water) floor drains water fountains (Can be integrated with sink) Non-emergency shower emergency shower / Eye Wash dishwashers refrigerator / ice maker Washer & Dryer or Hookup technology Interactive whiteboards or projector data drops (one per wall) Check for one in ceiling Telephones Enhanced A/V Package, VGA & Teacher's Drop furnishings, fixtures, equipment 2 or more teaching walls (ability to project, display, or write) One teaching wall (ability to project, display, or write) storage: casework, cabinetry, shelving, filing cabinets, student cubbies or lockers Display Cases Vertical and Horizontal Storage doors / windows / walls / flooring doors: sidelight or view panel doors: double-doors doors: solid, secure windows: operable to outside windows: ability to darken walls / ceiling: Acoustically treated / high flooring: carpet flooring: hard Table 1. All space requirements 3 EDUCATIONAL ADEQUACY ASSESSMENT EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

5 Calculating Educational To calculate each space type was given a score out of 5. The total number of requirements for a space type was calculated and divided up to determine how many points would be placed on each requirement. For example, in a Kindergarten / 1 st Grade classroom we looked for the following requirements. electrical / lighting / mechanical furnishings, fixtures, equipment Quad outlets every 4-8 feet (220v, GFCI, floor outlets) or more teaching walls (ability to project, display, or write) 0.25 adjustable, overhead lighting teaching wall (ability to project, display, or write) storage: casework, cabinetry, shelving, filing cabinets, 0.25 Direct natural light student cubbies or lockers 0.50 Mechanical Ventilation (Exhaust Fan / Fume Hoods) doors / windows / walls / flooring plumbing doors: sidelight or view panel 0.25 sinks 0.25 doors: double-doors toilets 0.50 doors: solid, secure emergency shut off (Gas) windows: operable to outside 0.25 convenience shut off (Gas and / or Water) windows: ability ot darken 0.25 floor drains walls / ceiling: Acoustically treated / high water fountains (Can be integrated with sink) 0.25 flooring: carpet Non-emergency shower flooring: VCT 0.25 emergency shower / Eye Wash Size dishwashers Sufficient Square Footage 1.00 refrigerator / ice maker Total Score 5.00 Washer & Dryer or hookup technology Interactive whiteboards or projector 0.13 data drops (1 per wall, 1 in ceiling) 0.13 Telephones 0.13 Enhanced A/V Package, VGA & Data Drop 0.13 Table 2. Example of points for Kindergarten / 1 st Grade Classroom Finally, is totaled from the score out of 5 for each space type. A weight factor is applied to the space type so that spaces that are deemed more important and have more square footage have a greater weight in Adequacy Index. For example, 2 nd 6 th grade classrooms make up 23% of a facilities square footage according to the Educational Specification created by the District, so the score out of 5 for 2 nd 6 th grade classrooms accounts for 23% of the facilities Educational. The following pages summarize the findings from the educational adequacy assessments. *** An appendix with assessors score sheets and marked-up floor plans from the Educational Adequacy Assessments will be made available upon request. 4 EDUCATIONAL ADEQUACY ASSESSMENT EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

6 Findings The final Educational can then be sorted as a ranking to compare each facility in a grade level to each other. The ranking system lists from 1 to 32 for elementary schools, 1 to 8 for junior highs, and 1 to 4 for high schools. 1 being the school with the highest Educational and the largest ranking being the school with the lowest highest Educational. Again, this ranking says nothing about the condition of a facility or how it performs educationally it is simply a measurement of how the space types in a facility match up to the educational specification the district has set. for all elementary schools is shown in the table below. The table on the left is sorted alphabetically and the table to the right is sorted based on The Educational. Adams Elementary Amity Elementary Collister Elementary Cynthia Mann Elementary Garfield Elementary Grace Jordan Elementary Hawthorne Elementary Hidden Springs Elementary Highlands Elementary Hillcrest Elementary Horizon Elementary Jefferson Elementary Koelsch Elementary Liberty Elementary Longfellow Elementary Lowell Elementary Maple Grove Elementary Monroe Elementary Morley Nelson Elementary Mountain View Elementary Owyhee Elementary Pierce Park Elementary Riverside Elementary Roosevelt Elementary Shadow Hills Elementary Taft Elementary Trail Wind Elementary Valley View Elementary Washington Elementary White Pine Elementary Whitney Elementary Whittier Elementary Grace Jordan Elementary Whitney Elementary Morley Nelson Elementary Shadow Hills Elementary Hillcrest Elementary Taft Elementary Trail Wind Elementary Hidden Springs Elementary Cynthia Mann Elementary Horizon Elementary Garfield Elementary Hawthorne Elementary Lowell Elementary Koelsch Elementary Liberty Elementary Jefferson Elementary Riverside Elementary White Pine Elementary Adams Elementary Collister Elementary Table 3. Elementary Educational sorted alphabetically Roosevelt Elementary Longfellow Elementary Whittier Elementary Monroe Elementary Mountain View Elementary Maple Grove Elementary Owyhee Elementary Amity Elementary Pierce Park Elementary Washington Elementary Highlands Elementary Valley View Elementary Table 4. Elementary Educational sorted by rank 5 EDUCATIONAL ADEQUACY ASSESSMENT EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

7 Findings for all junior high schools is shown in the table below. The table on the left is sorted alphabetically and the table to the right is sorted based on The Educational. East Junior High Fairmont Junior High Hillside Junior High Les Bois Junior High North Junior High Riverglen Junior High South Junior High West Junior High Table 6. Junior High Educational sorted alphabetically for all high schools is shown in the table below. The table on the left is sorted alphabetically and the table to the right is sorted based on. Boise High Borah High Capital High Timberline High Table 7. High Educational sorted alphabetically West Junior High South Junior High East Junior High Riverglen Junior High Les Bois Junior High North Junior High Fairmont Junior High Hillside Junior High Table 5. Junior High Educational sorted by rank Capital High Timberline High Borah High Boise High Table 8. High Educational sorted by rank 6 EDUCATIONAL ADEQUACY ASSESSMENT EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

8 Average Classroom Size Below is a comparison of the average classroom size for each facility. Typically, this is a metric looked at in an Educational Adequacy Assessment because older facilities generally have smaller classrooms that can negatively affect the ability to deliver the highest quality instruction. All schools in Boise Independent District meet the 600 ft 2 except for Amity Elementary which has an average classrooms size of 580 ft 2. Adams Amity Collister Cynthia Mann Garfield Grace Jordan Hawthorne Hidden Springs Highlands Hillcrest Horizon Jefferson Koelsh Liberty Longfellow Lowell Maple Grove Monroe Morley Nelson Mountain View Owyhee Pierce Park Riverside Roosevelt Shadow Hills Taft Trail Wind Valley View Washington White Pine Whitney Whittier East Fairmont Hillside Les Bois North Riverglen South West Boise Borah Capital Timberline Average Classroom Size ,000 1,200 Size in Sq. Ft. Figure 1. Average classroom size by school 7 EDUCATIONAL ADEQUACY ASSESSMENT EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

9 BOISE INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT Educational Adequacy Assessment May 16, 2016 Gymnasiums & Cafeterias T One of the biggest inadequacies across the district to consider is the amount of space facilities have for gym and lunch. This was specifically noted at the elementary level because of the use of cafegymatoriums. In some of the older facilities they utilize one multi-purpose space for the gym, cafeteria, and auditorium. This can be a burden when a school begins to reach capacity, and impact scheduling and how instruction is delivered. For comparison some of the newer facilities such as Morley Nelson Elementary have close to 7,400 ft2 in cafeteria and gymnasium space, while Collister Elementary has less than 2,000ft2. Size of Gymnasium & Cafeteria 8,000 AF 7,000 6,000 4,000 3,000 R 2,000 Cafeteria Gymnasium 1,000 Whittier Whitney White Pine Washington Valley View Trail Wind Taft Roosevelt Shadow Hills Riverside Pierce Park Owyhee Morley Nelson Mountain View Monroe Maple Grove Longfellow Liberty Koelsh Jefferson Horizon Hillcrest Highlands Hidden Springs Hawthorne Garfield Grace Jordan Cynthia Mann D Collister Amity Adams 0 Lowell Size in Sq. Ft. 5,000 Figure 2. Size of gymnasium and cafeteria for all elementary schools 8 EDUCATIONAL ADEQUACY ASSESSMENT EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

10 BOISE INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT Educational Adequacy Assessment May 16, 2016 Gymnasiums & Cafeterias The table below shows the square footage allocated to gymnasiums and cafeterias for all junior highs. All junior highs have at least one gymnasium and cafeteria. The highlights to note at the junior high level are the facilities that do not have auxiliary gymnasiums. Also, typical to buildings across the country the older facilities were built with smaller spaces, as you can see in Hillside Junior High and Fairmont Junior High. North Junior High previously had a renovation to add a larger gymnasium. Size of Gymnasium & Cafeteria at Junior High s T 25,000 20,000 5,221 5,302 5,211 5, ,080 AF Size in Sq. Ft. 15,000 9,344 9,310 9,264 10,000 10,572 3,336 9,343 0 Aux Gym Gymnasium Cafeteria 8,728 6,895 6,532 5,000 6,062 7,012 5,796 3,744 2,825 2,875 Fairmont 7,157 Hillside 7,128 East Les Bois North Riverglen South West 0 R Figure 2. Size of gymnasium and cafeteria for all junior highs 50,000 40,000 25,364 30,000 11,097 12,691 6,777 20,000 12,500 6,720 5,100 Boise 17,700 10,904 Capital Size in Sq. Ft. D The table to the right shows the square footage allocated to gymnasiums and cafeterias for all high schools. All high schools have at least one gymnasium and cafeteria. The highlights to note at the high school level are the auxiliary gymnasiums. Borah High has a significant amount of auxiliary gymnasium space when compared to the other three high schools. Size of Gymnasium & Cafeteria at High s 60,000 10,000 7,137 Aux Gym Gymnasium Cafeteria 12,718 9,430 Timberline Borah 0 Figure 3. Size of gymnasium and cafeteria for all high schools 9 EDUCATIONAL ADEQUACY ASSESSMENT EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

11 Next Steps It is important to note that an assessment in and of itself is not a scope of work. It is a tool to assist the District in determining an overall magnitude of renovation and repairs, providing indexes to prioritize needs. Identifying every specialized circumstance was beyond the scope of this project. It will ultimately be determined by Boise Independent District whether an addition, major renovation, or replacement is necessary at a school building for a number of reasons including, but not limited, to the following: An existing space within a school may be able to be retro-fitted to meet the space requirements of the current educational specifications. Site size constraints may limit opportunities for any new construction or additions. Available funding DeJONG-RICHTER is pleased to have had the opportunity to provide Boise Independent District with this Educational Adequacy Assessment Executive Summary. We hope this document will provide the necessary information to make informed decisions about the future of the Boise Independent District. *** An appendix with assessors score sheets and marked-up floor plans from the Educational Adequacy Assessments will be made available upon request. 10 EDUCATIONAL ADEQUACY ASSESSMENT EXECUTIVE SUMMARY