Deferred maintenance is ignored maintenance.
This article originally appeared in the San Diego Union Tribune on the December 3, 1997. A special report by Union-Tribune staff writer Sharon Jones showed the terrible conditions in the San Diego Unified School District. Crumbling and overcrowded schools clearly are a serious roadblock to learning. School board members decide that if they just slow down scheduled maintenance a little, it will save money and won't bring teachers or parents screaming in your face. After a year or two, nobody complains, so maintenance is slowed down a little more.