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Objectives & Goals for a Public School Maintenance Department- By Bonnie Swain Schindly, eHow Contributor

By CEFPI Admin posted 11-17-2010 12:51 PM

  
  • A public school maintenance department ensures that all facilities are operating smoothly so that teachers and students focus on education, not on leaky roofs or poor lighting. These employees tackle everything from fixing dripping faucets to replacing furnace filters. Objectives and goals for a public school maintenance department cover routine repairs and preventive measures. These workers also are impacted by tighter school budgets that call for maintenance teams to do more with less funding.

    • Repairs

  • A public school maintenance department focuses on fixing problems. This important objective carries a long list of responsibilities, such as unclogging plumbing in restrooms, plastering walls or painting doors. Maintenance workers repair cafeteria equipment and diagnose heating or air conditioning malfunctions. These jacks-of-all-trades rely on blueprints, manuals and catalogs to determine the best solution for a facility glitch. They typically perform their jobs with little supervision and are proficient in plumbing, carpentry, pest control and electrical work, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Tools of their trade include hand and power instruments such as hammers, screwdrivers, saws and drills.

    • Preventive

  • Public school maintenance departments anticipate and correct problems before they become expensive undertakings. This objective includes routine checks of equipment and facilities to ensure they are operational and safe. For example, routine preventive care on a heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) system involves replacing air filters, cleaning burners and coils, checking for leaks and inspecting seals before the HVAC equipment fails. By sidestepping preventive maintenance, a school system runs the risk of experiencing more costly repairs that disrupt the overall learning process, says the Council of Educational Facility Planners (CEFPI). Children cannot learn when they are distracted by dirty bathrooms or deteriorating roofs, CEFPI notes.

    • Safety

  • Many schools are contaminated with mold and asbestos, according to the Council of Educational Facility Planners (CEFPI). Maintenance workers in public schools are challenged with the objective of removing these toxins and preventing recurrences. Simple maintenance steps will eradicate these air contaminants, such as patching leaky roofs, scouring carpeting and sanitizing ventilation ducts, the CEFPI reports. A maintenance department stays abreast of mold buildup by checking that windows are free of moisture and repairing dripping faucets immediately. Workers also monitor the presence of asbestos fibers in the atmosphere and then follow U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) guidelines in dealing with isolating and then treating those areas.

    • Budget

  • Cost containment is as critical to school maintenance as disinfectant and mops. Maintenance teams search for ways to live within tight budgets, according to the Peter Li Education Group website. For example, the maintenance team in Suffolk, Va., schools outfitted each building principal with a portable digital thermometer so principals could investigate complaints of classrooms being too hot or cold before interrupting a maintenance worker. Suffolk's maintenance department also retains teachers, coaches and bus drivers during summer recess to paint interior walls and mow the school grounds. In Omaha, Nebraska, workers ensure someone arrives on duty early in the morning and someone else is available later in the day so that maintenance issues can be resolved without disrupting classroom hours or paying overtime wages.



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