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Aging buildings along with increasing enrollments have put school construction on the agendas of many school boards.

Some school districts are feeling a pinch as the children of the Baby Boom generation fill and overflow classrooms. In the next ten years, according to population projections, many areas in Illinois will see a gentle swell in enrollments, which will recede after the year 2005. One study projects that some of the counties around Cook County/Chicago (DuPage, Lake, McHenry, and Will) will experience increases in the thousands. Some communities in the Metro-East area also are seeing increasing enrollments.

Even those counties which are seeing no significant rise in enrollments may need to spend more money on their schools. A recent survey conducted by the federal General Accounting Office indicates that some $112 billion is needed nationwide for repairs and upgrades of existing schools. Ten percent of that amount, or $11 billion. is needed just to meet federal mandates: that is, to make the buildings accessible to handicapped students and to remove, or otherwise protect students from, hazardous substances in their schools, such as asbestos and lead. Much of the rest is needed to accommodate students and give them an education which will prepare them for life in the twenty-first century.

So alarming is the report that President Clinton has called for a $5 billion school construction and repair program to be financed with proceeds from the federal government auction of communications licenses. The proposal calls for an interest subsidy to reduce costs on new school construction and renovation projects by up to 50 percent. School construction typically is funded through tax-exempt bonds that currently carry interest rates of about six percent, which a 50 percent subsidy would reduce to three percent. School districts could use the money to finance repairs in existing schools, to build new schools to replace old ones or to accommodate increased enrollments. Also eligible would be projects to facilitate technology, increase physical safety at school, improve access for those with disabilities, improve energy efficiency and address environmental hazards such as poor ventilation or indoor air quality.

Legislation is expected to be introduced in Congress early in 1997.

Many school districts that haven't undertaken any serious construction or renovation for the past two decades or more are up against the wall -- and in many cases, the wall is crumbling.

If your district is among them, what can you expect when you venture out into the construction/renovation marketplace?

First, if you haven't been keeping up on construction costs, expect sticker shock, said Marion Poggas, vice president of Garrison, Jones Architects in Carbondale. Poggas is a member of the IASB Service Associates executive committee. Then, - when you get over the increase in construction costs since the 1960s or 1970s, be ready to explain it to your community, especially those who remember what they paid for a high school 30 years ago.

You'd pay more even if you were to build the same kind of building you would have built back then. But, of course, you won't. Too much has changed.

One of the biggest changes in education also has numerous implications affecting building design. That change is technology, which requires everything from additional wiring to larger classrooms. Computer labs still exist in many schools, but most educators believe computers best enhance learning when they are located in the classroom. A standard-sized classroom won't accommodate six, eight or a dozen computer stations. Whether you are just getting started in technology or already have as much equipment as you can imagine ever needing -- plan for more.

Lighting is also important in planning for computer use, Poggas pointed out. Lighting that glares off a computer screen makes for miserable working conditions. Both artificial and natural lighting (placement and orientation of windows) need to be planned to reduce glare.

In schools of the past, a large chunk of space was devoted to the library, which was designed to be a quiet study area. Electronic storage, which reduces an entire reference section to the size of a compact disc, is becoming more and more common. In some cases, libraries might become smaller and classrooms larger. Or library space might be reconceived as a place where teams of students would use computer stations.

Another consideration that is more important now than it used to be is vehicular traffic control. More elementary and junior high children are driven to school and picked up by their parents. More buses are being used. School sites have to be carefully planned to separate bus and auto traffic, to allow space for parents to wait for their children and to safeguard children who walk or ride bicycles.

Parking is a major consideration when planning a high school, where more and more students drive their own cars. Also, adding staff members will increase the need for parking.

Another problem of our times: security. A school in California, trying to escape the noise from the Los Angeles International Airport, was built underground for the most part: as an unexpected bonus, the administration found that vandalism and security problems were much easier to handle. The school's utility bills were lower, too.

If an underground school is not to your community's taste, plenty of high-tech products and strategies exist to help provide security. There are various materials for windows and window coverings, including wire screens. The St. Louis school system was awarded a $355 million grant to monitor all doors electronically and to set up an automatic locking system with a fire alarm release. Some New York City schools issue identification cards which are checked by electronic card readers which will not let a student in without a card.

In large urban schools, fairly drastic security measures are needed. For many schools, though, there are simpler, less expensive ways to protect children, such as putting windows in the doors of offices and closets. Special primary washrooms can be positioned close to the younger children's classrooms, and all classrooms can be equipped with intercoms, suggests Sandra R. Sabo, in "Security by Design," in The American School Board Journal January, 1993).

Instead of intercoms, Poggas said, some schools are using phones with callback capability in every classroom. If a student becomes disruptive or if someone comes into the classroom bent on trouble, the teacher can pick up a phone and have immediate access to the office. (A happier reason to have telephones in every classroom is to allow for electronic networking.)

Can it happen in your schools? Not long ago, in a small community in Southern Illinois, a non-custodial father came into the school and abducted his daughter at gunpoint, Poggas said. For the foreseeable future, all school boards will need to find that fine line between reasonable safeguards and security overkill.

Other measures, Poggas suggested, include minimizing the number of doors and making sure the office is located so that it has good visual control over doors. Care must be taken not to compromise safety in case of a fire, however. (See "Fire!" on page 22.)

In general, flexibility is a key-word in school construction of the 90s. Some districts need to plan for future expansion, which will be much easier and less expensive if it is designed into the building from the start. Others will be seeing enrollment declines, and need spaces that will lend themselves to alternative uses.

Because space costs money, rooms are being designed for multiple uses: a huge cafeteria that is used for only two hours a day is a luxury few districts can afford. The cafeteria might be designed so it can be used for band practice and other purposes. Large classrooms that can be divided into smaller spaces with folding partitions allow various uses, such as multi-age groupings or teamwork of various kinds.

One district that is building a new facility, Bureau Valley C.U. District 340, is getting maximum use from classroom space by not assigning teachers their own classrooms. Instead, teachers will have work stations so that valuable classroom space is not tied up during teacher preparation periods, reported Bob Elliott, a member of the Bureau Valley school board and chairman of the construction committee.

Even if enrollment is not expected to decline, there is more interest in designing schools that can be used as community facilities. In many cases, schools are no longer used from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. five days a week, nine months a year. Rather, buildings are housing before- and after-school programs, continuing education classes, senior citizens' events, and other community activities.

In addition to making greater use of expensive space, turning school buildings into true community facilities is a highly effective way to increase community support for schools, especially among those segments of the population that don't have children in school.

Community use was an important consideration for the Bureau Valley Board of Education, said Elliott. Six school districts in four communities joined to form the Bureau Valley School district. The high school which will serve the new district is being built near the center of the District, close to Manlius. Ground for the facility was broken in June: about 440 students are expected to begin attending classes there in fall of 1997.

Having decided on a new building rather than renovating one of the four existing high schools, the school board wanted a facility that would be a focal point for the four communities involved, as well as meet current and future educational needs, said Elliott.

A special fund drive allowed for a larger auditorium than originally planned. The auditorium, a media center, and a public commons/cafeteria area all are designed for community use. Classrooms and vocational education space are in separate areas that can be closed off, so that activity in the public areas won't disturb classes.

Recreational facilities, such as gymnasiums and locker rooms, also lend themselves to community use, said Poggas. These facilities seem more important than ever, he reported. Despite tight budgets, his firm has not seen cutbacks in gym facilities.

When planning facilities for community use, carefully-writ-ten policies and the advice of an attorney are essential to avoid liability problems.

Energy conservation continues to be an issue -- and a complicated one at that. During the 1970s, said Poggas, "we insulated buildings better, tightened up windows, built vestibules, and used wind-resistant wrappings." Sealing up buildings reduced heating and cooling costs, but had unintended consequences as well: "sick building syndrome." Sealed-in pollutants created health hazards for the inhabitants of the buildings. "That in turn caused building codes to start requiring more fresh air to be brought in via the mechanical systems," said Poggas. And, of course, that air has to be heated and cooled.

Siting and orientation of the building also has an impact on energy costs. So does landscaping: carefully placed trees can shade buildings in warm weather and serve as a windbreak in winter. However, when money is tight, landscaping tends to get short shrift. One reason is that it takes time for those trees and other plantings to grow, so that the value of landscaping is deferred -- and hard to sell. School districts tend to spend the money on more square footage, said Poggas.

In general, Poggas sees a trend toward school buildings that look less institutional. "We're moving away from the boxes of the 1950s, 60s, or 70s, and seeing more variety in the design," he said. Buildings are designed to fit into their neighborhoods, rather than being an isolated institutional block. Even working within a tight budget, he said, an architect can suggest design options.

One of the first decisions your school board will make is: do we build from scratch or renovate?

Even though a brand new school can fill many needs and solve many problems, some communities just don't want to pay for one. The design and construction of new schools can seem extravagant, even though it may be more economical in the long run than renovating old buildings. The cost of a new building may not be as much more as you'd expect, and a new building can be up and in service much more quickly than a renovation job on a school which remains open during the construction period. Renovating an existing school while it is in session can take two or three times longer than renovation of an unoccupied school.

"One of the tough questions was whether to house students in one older building versus a new one," said Jeff Keach of LZT Associates, Inc., the Peoria architectural firm that produced the design for the Bureau Valley school. "They concluded that the old building wouldn't give them the efficiency, functional qualities and flexibility they needed. Incorporating such innovations as a modern resource center with adjacent computer labs and faculty offices linked to a central commons would have been virtually impossible in an older structure."

Still, remodeling and/or adding to an existing school can sometimes be easier to justify to your community than all-new construction. One choice is to "gut" and transform a school with landmark status, particularly one built before 1940. Such buildings are strongly constructed, with high ceilings and large windows. Classroom size and shape sometimes can be reconfigured to reflect current needs -- but not always, warned Poggas. Inconvenient load-bearing walls sometimes make it difficult or impossible to enlarge small rooms.

Other problems include making the building energy-efficient -- very difficult in many old buildings -- and making old buildings, with their stairs, small restrooms, and narrow doorways, accessible to those with physical disabilities.

Boiler systems, with some updating, can often be reclaimed, although the electric, plumbing, and ventilation systems should be completely replaced, usually at a cost some five to ten percent higher than that of systems in a new building. Accommodating technology can be a problem -- thick walls and floors often make rewiring a real challenge.

Since older buildings are often viewed with great affection in the community, working to keep the architectural values of a school while renovating to serve today's students can be a popular project.

If your town does not have a charming old school to renovate -- or if someone has already turned it into a profitable mini-mall -- schools built after 1940 can also be suitable candidates for renewal. If an addition to a school is planned, it may be simpler to attach it to a newer school, since the cost of making new construction harmonize with a charming old school tends to be relatively higher.

And, speaking of costs, some construction firms estimate that the national average for contingency [unforeseen costs] is around ten percent of the estimated costs for renovation work. Some expenditures are legitimately unforeseen, such as those that follow the discovery of corrosion or dangerous substances behind innocent-looking walls; some expenditures arise because the planners did not anticipate certain conflicts, and some, because plans were changed after construction had started.

Classes may have to be moved temporarily to make room for construction. At a project in Itasca, teachers and custodians were so organized that they could strip a classroom in 25 minutes and set it up elsewhere in one hour, reported Green Associates Architects, Inc., of Evanston. Green Associates created a five-page list of practical tips based on the experience of two principals who have captained their schools through extensive renovation and addition projects. To get a free copy of "Preparing Your School Community for Construction," contact IASB Publications, in Springfield.

Whether you decide upon a new school or a remodeled one, every step of the process must be anticipated and reported. Such foresight will help keep "surprise" costs to a minimum.

New building or renovation, once the actual work starts, someone must be in charge of the project at the administrative level, and someone must follow every day's activity on the site. There must be regular communication between the building site and the school board. (See, "Alternative Project Delivery Approaches for School Construction," on page 18.)

If it's time to build in your district, be sure to allow plenty of time for planning. In fact, allow more time than you think you really will need, and rest assured that it won't be too much. Only careful planning will ensure that you get the facilities you need at the price you determine.

You'll need a planning team that should include representatives from various segments of the community. Be sure to include representatives from groups that can be expected to criticize and oppose building plans. This representation will be an important card to play in your referendum campaign. Among the information that should be collected by the committee is the following:

Description of existing facilities in the school district;

Current enrollment numbers and projections for the next ten years;

Ethnic and economic makeup of the community;

State and local requirements for school programs, construction, and support functions such as library, cafeteria, administration, and maintenance;

Assessment of the community's feelings about district space needs; and

Recommendations for meeting those needs.

Public hearings on school needs will help elicit information about what your community wants -- and doesn't want -- in its schools. Hearings also will help uncover likely points of opposition. You may learn, for example, that there is no way on earth that your community will pay for a swimming pool, no matter how good a case you can make for the need. You may find that people in your community align with a recent national survey that shows people are willing to pay quite a bit for instructional technology.

Build into your plan time to investigate various options. These even include standardized designs for schools. The architectural firm of Ehrenkrantz &. Eckstut, for example, designed a prototype school with components that include classrooms, facilities for children with disabilities, an auditorium/library,/ gymnasium complex, and a section containing office space and facilities for teachers. ( Ezra D. Ehrenkrantz and Stanton Eckstut, "Made to Measure: How One City Saved Time and Money with a Prototype Design for New School Buildings," The American School Board Journal, April 1994.)

The components can be combined in different ways to meet various needs. Some features at the components include shorter, "friendlier" corridors ending in windowed areas, and classrooms divisible both by partitions and by designs in the floor tiles.

Special problems may require unorthodox solutions. For example, the Houston Public Schools, seeking to meet the needs of at-risk students, created a partnership with the Houston Housing Authority and Texas Southern University to locate a school in two renovated apartments in a public housing project.

Funding is always an issue. Most communities will hold a bond issue referendum. In some cases, the state's Health/ Life Safety Code for Public Schools can be of assistance. The code allows school boards to request authorization to use fire prevention and safety funds for certain construction purposes. The State Board of Education's Financial Ourreach Section can help: contact Susan Quandahl at 800/ 545-7892.

The school of your dreams may not be realizable. Bur with careful planning and judicious compromise, you can achieve an attractive facility that will serve your community well for many years to come.

Pat Smith is a freelance writer in Springfield, Illinois, and Jessica Billings is editor of Illinois School Board Journal.

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