Every school was to get roughly equal facilities. All the money has gone into improving buildings. Seven years ago, for example, the district installed a centralized system to regulate heating and cooling, with temperatures from every school feeding into a computer in Waterson's office. District officials meet monthly to discuss heating and air-conditioning problems. Quarterly summaries of power use help them detect problems that may be driving up costs.
Employees file electronic maintenance requests that are tracked until the problem is resolved.
Crates estimates there are 300 work orders pending at any time. Some need immediate action. Routine tasks like painting, plumbing and electrical upgrades are handled during the summer. Projects are plotted on maintenance schedules to keep them on track. The key, said Crates, is central planning and oversight.