Policy 4:175
Facility Planning
The Board's Facility Development Committee will annually review
capital and maintenance projects for all school facilities. In addition,
the Illinois State Board of Education and local fire department
annually inspect all schools. The District's ten year life safety plan
is annually reviewed and updated by the Board Facility's Development
Committee.
Facility planning is an ongoing process that should reflect the
complex and dynamic nature of educational programs. In planning
facilities, it is necessary to maximize flexible space so that the
existing program can be accomodated while anticipating future needs.
The Superintendent or his or her designee shall direct a facility
planning process that takes into account current and future educational
needs, safety, and efficiency. Through the facility planning process the
district building needs are identified and prioritized, then plans are
developed, reviewed and revised. Additionally, construction and
maintenance timelines need to be developed and monitored until the
finished product is accepted.
The Superintendent or his or her designee may draw upon a wide range
of resources including the District staff, architects and educational
consultants as well as the area utility, commercial, industrial, and
governmental entities. All plans and specifications shall be in
compliance with the Life Safety Code and all other mandatory codes.
In any new building project or remodeling project of existing
facilities that incurs District expense of more than
id="mce_marker"0,000, the Board shall employ the services of a licensed
architect who practices in the State of Illinois. The Board shall
approve the retention of an architect, in compliance with the Local
Government Professional Services Selection Act. The Superintendent or
Superintendent's designee shall be responsible for the project and shall
act as the Board's representative in working with the architect on said
project.
The following aspects should also be considered as facility needs are projected and planned:
- Safety and welfare of students and staff
- Financial ability of the School District, including present and projected budgetary limitations
- Changes in student population and organization of schools
- Community planning and zoning as well as relationship to the total community
- Plant and site aesthetics
- Relationship between projected new facilities/additions and those already in existence
- The extent of new construction shall be determined by the increase
or decrease in enrollment, by student-teacher ratios, by changing
educational programs, and by the condition of existing facilities.
Adopted: September 8, 1997
Revised: November 28, 2011