A six-page kit with a fictional options and cost comparison, meeting question sheet, warranty prompts, and progress-reporting planner.
Practical ideas and free resources for the people who serve our communities.
A facilities proposal can be easier to discuss when the need, alternatives, cost assumptions, and continuing responsibilities are visible. This six-page kit helps school board members and district leaders prepare questions for that conversation.
Clarify the decision requested
Begin with the action being requested at the meeting. Is the proposal seeking further study, a budget allocation, project approval, or another action? Identify the assessment, its date and author, the district goal, and the information still needed.
Compare options over the same period
A fictional library-flooring example compares targeted repair with replacement. It separates the initial amount from five years of assumed maintenance and labels the result as a partial planning total. A second scenario shows how an additional repair could change the comparison. The amounts are invented teaching examples, not price quotes or evidence that either approach is suitable for a particular building.
Ask what the total leaves out
The example identifies excluded costs and uncertain assumptions. The worksheet prompts questions about scope, funding, disruption, ongoing responsibilities, and alternatives such as phased work or deferral where appropriate. Ask for the supporting analysis through the district’s established process.
Check existing and proposed warranty coverage
The kit asks whether current coverage has been checked, what proposed coverage includes, which exclusions or maintenance conditions apply, and who will keep the records. A warranty’s existence does not establish that a particular repair is covered.
Agree on the report-back
The reporting planner covers preparation, progress, handoff, and results after use. It includes space for review triggers, open questions, and the owner and date of the next report.
MASB’s Roles and Responsibilities resource provides background on board policy, resource, and facilities responsibilities and the superintendent’s implementation role. This kit is original Commerce Street Cares material, not a MASB form or endorsement. Use it alongside local policy, technical assessments, and the district’s professional advice; authority and procedures vary by district and state.
Downloads
- school-board-facilities-review-kit.pdf PDF · 174 KB