Robert J. Kobet, AIA, LEED FacultyPresident, The Kobet CollaborativePittsburgh, PA and Coconut Grove, FL

bob@thekobetcollaborative.com

www.thekobetcollaborative.com

March 31, 2011, Albany, NY

Critical Issues Summit

Maintaining Your InvestmentEnsuring Your Future

Creative Solutions for Today’s

Educational Facilities’ Needs

What are the stake holders thinking?Are high performance green schools compatible with

emerging trends and school district priorities?

“Schools are expensive and last

a long time. When we build new

schools or modernize new ones,

it is important to consider how

we think about and deliver public

education. Although no one can

predict the future, we have an

obligation to identify evolving

attitudes and practices and to try

our best to understand how they

might effect the physical settings

we use for learning.”

Kenneth R. Stevenson, Ed.D, retired

Why Does Maintenance Matter?

• Better student performance

• Increased average daily attendance

• Increased teacher satisfaction and retention

• Reduced operating costs

“I have noticed a big difference in my health since we’ve been in the new school. I had a lot of absenteeism – in fact I was hospitalized in the old building. In the new school, I won’t say I’m cured of asthma – I still have it and I still have allergies – but I really don’t have many problems at all and I’m feeling great.”

Teacher at a new school in New Hampshire

using the Advantage Classroom design concept.

*High Performance School Buildings Sustainable Buildings Industry Council

Why Does Maintenance Matter?

• Reduced liability exposure

• A positive influence on the environment

• Increased opportunities for using the facility as a teaching tool

• Compliance with USGBC Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) or Collaborative for High Performance Schools (CHPS) performance mandates

“High performance facilities are a critical part of the equation for improving student outcomes in this country.”

Jack Lyons

Educational Facilities Program Manager

U.S. Department of Education, retired

Studies Show Health Advantages of Green School Facilities

New Ventilation systems found to reduce asthma

symptom reporting among students ²- Well designed ventilation

with effective distribution can reduce respiratory illness by 9 to 20%

Improving air quality can reduce absenteeism ³ Air quality

can be scientifically analyzed and absenteeism statistics are required to be kept.

The two have been correlated repeatedly.

Daylighting Improvements Lead to …Improved Test Scores 7% - 18%

Outperforming Peers 5% - 14%

Reduced Absenteeism

1 Heschong Mahone Study Note: This study was challenged and verified under even more rigorous scrutiny

² Smedje and Norback, 2000

³ Rosen & Richardson, 1999

Industry Facts

Key Findings of McGraw Hill Research

• Green Building is Entrenched in K-12 and Higher Education Construction. It is not a trend, it is a movement. Entire states are now requiring schools to be built green and / or LEED certified. Existing schools are getting more attention.

• Operational Cost Savings is the Key Motivational Area– Strongest trigger – rising energy costs

– Strongest barrier – perceived increased first cost though studies refute this assumption.

This impasse can only be resolved through educating the stake holders

• Environmental and Health Concerns

Also Important:

- Increasing Energy Conservation

- Enhancing Student / Staff Well-being

Industry Facts

Are we at another transformational

fork in the road. Or, is it “pedal to the

metal” and who knows where are

going? Welcome to the Shift Age……

Transformational Periods

in Human History:

• Hunter / Gather - 150,000 years

3000 life times in caves

• Agricultural Age - 10,000 years ago

200 life times tilling the land

defined by tools

• Industrial Age – Circa 1700s

5 life times defined by machines

• Information Age

1 life time defined by technology

shared with the

• Shift Age

Last three decades – defined by

a heightened social consciousness

Three Forces Dominate

the Shift Age• Accelerating electronic connectedness

• The expansion to global

• The empowering of the individual

The Shift Age – David Houle

Why Build High Performance Green Schools ?

• 80% of students who drop out of K12 programs have passing grades; they simply don’t want to be in school.

• In the US a K12 student drops out of school every 11 seconds. By the time this 60 minute presentation is over 327 students will have left school.

• 45% of math teachers stay in K12 public schools less than three years. 60% are gone within five years.

• By the time a student entering Kindergarten graduates from college 25% of the jobs that exist today will be gone. Half the jobs that will replace those gone will be in the green economy.

“High performance facilities are a critical part of the equation for improving student outcomes in this country.”

Jack Lyons

Educational Facilities Program Manager

U.S. Department of Education, retired

Community

Facility Curriculum

High Performance New or Existing SchoolsConnect Community, Facility and Curriculum

What does this mean to how New York does business in schools?

Maintenance and Money

$$

PriceThe $$

number on the check

ValuePersonal

Subjective

CostHealth

ProductivityTest scores

Mai nt enance i s more about

peopl e t han bui l di ngs. The

operat i on and mai nt enance

of our bui l di ngs are a

resul t of t he deci si ons we make.

Price and cost are often

used interchangeably. We

usually write a check for

what we value.

Community

Facility Curriculum

How do we process and use information that informs the “Price, Cost, Value debate?”

Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) Statistics• People spend 90% time indoors,

including schools

• Indoor pollutant levels can be 2 to 5 times greater than outdoors

• Infants, children and elderly are most vulnerable

• According to the American Lung Association14 million asthma school days missed per year

• The EPA has established direct links between interior air quality in schools and attendance and student performance

• The American Medical Association and the American Council of Pediatric Medicine have published concerns over misdiagnosed IAQ symptoms

Micro-flora Insect waste Pharmaceuticals

Dust mites Insect stings Pollen

Food allergies

A lot of things impact our physical health and

well being. School maintenance and school

policies can either help or hurt the effort to

keep students healthy and productive.

It’s complicated…….

It is well known that lack of maintenance is directly responsible for poor

interior air quality and, consequently, the health of students and staff. The

fact that energy efficiency is dramatically effected is less well publicized.

It is well known that lack of maintenance is directly responsible for poor

interior air quality and, consequently, the health of students and staff. The

fact that energy efficiency is dramatically effected is less well publicized.

How much more do we need to know?

It‟s serious business….

From “Is this Your Child”

Doris Rapp, MD

School lunches are not usually considered a maintenance issue. However,

anything that weakens a child‟s immune system makes them more

susceptible to other physical insults.

The waste stream from a school cafeteria, however, and a school

gardening program can be considered income generators and are

gaining popularity as opportunities for reducing O&M costs while

creating extremely effective learning opportunities.

The danger is that poor IAQ causes symptoms are often mis-diagnosed as

bacteriologically induced or virilogically induced illness. That is, they appear flu-

like. The fact is, poor interior air quality is directly responsible for a wide variety of

illnesses in our children, including asthma, hyperactivity and ADHD.

Dr. Roy E. Kerry, MD, AAOA

Poor maintenance = Poor IAQ

Poor IAQ = Sick Children

Sick Children = Poor Test Scores

Therefore, Poor Maintenance = Poor Test sores

So, let’s do the math……

From The Annual Message State of New

York to Members of the Legislature

January 5, 2011

“ Current Education funding is largely formula

based grants with no performance incentives. The

Federal Government’s recent move to performance

based grants, including the Race to the Top Program,

has resulted in reform. Therefore, I am proposing two

competitive funds to incentivize management

improvements.

First, I will propose a $250 million School

performance fund for Districts that proportionately

increase performance in the classroom. (e.g. improving

grades of historically underperforming children).

The second will be a $250 million administrative

efficiency fund for Districts that can find demonstrative

savings through efficiencies.

These grants will compliment the objectives of the

Race to the Top Program by stimulating innovation in

the classroom as well as the innovative office.”

How do we do this?

Who Qualifies?

What Qualifies?

Governor Cuomo issues a

challenge:

From The Annual Message State of New

York to Members of the Legislature

January 5, 2011

Governor Cuomo issues a

challenge:

Other interesting, relevant passages:

• Create Regional Economic Councils• Redesign State Government

Spending and Government Efficiency Commission

(SAGE)

• Redesign Local Government

Department of State Local Government

Efficiency Grants (LGEG)

Aid and Incentives to Municipalities (AIM)

• Transform the Budget Process

• Provide Mandate Relief• Transforming the Ethical Environment in

Government: Clean up Albany

• Outlaw Pay to PlayWhat do these mean to schools?

Are they opportunities for

creative solutions?

From The Annual Message State of New

York to Members of the Legislature

January 5, 2011

Governor Cuomo issues a

challenge:

• Make New York the Progressive Capital of the US

Once AgainSchools can be a featured success!

• A Cleaner Greener EnvironmentSchools can lead the way!

• Economic Opportunity for all New Yorkers –Expanding Minority and Women Owned

Business EnterprisesSchools offer great opportunity!

• Improve Government Performance and Transparency Through Technology

Schools should be networked into this!

• Juvenile JusticeAttendance? Absenteeism? Test Scores?

• Expand Fresh Food Into Urban Centers:

Urban Markets Meet NY ProduceSchools MUST be a part of this Directive!

Other interesting, relevant passages:

How will NY Schools

answer the challenge?

What do we need to do? Rethink the problem…

“Insanity is doing the same thing over

and over again and expecting

different results.”

X* =ANNUAL SCHOOL DISTRICT BUDGET (ASDB)

(A)DMINISTRATION + (S)ALARIES + (B)ENEFITS +

(M)AINTENANCE + (I)NSURANCE + (T)RANSPORTATION +

(P)URCHASING AND (P)ROCUREMENT + (E)VERYTHING (E)LSE?

WHERE X* = STATUS QUO? OR, DOES X = STRATEGY TO MOVE FORWARD?

ASDB = A vs S vs B vs M vs I vs T vs PP vs EE IF

THENTHERE IS NO REASON TO EXPECT DIFFERENT RESULTS

“A trillion dollars a day slosh around the world electronically.

How they slosh makes all the difference.”

Hazel Henderson, Planetary Citizenship

What do we need to do? Rethink the problem…

“Everything should be as simple as

possible, but no simpler.”

AS

B

T

PGPT

I

EE

ASDB

The questions are:

• What can we do differently in our

business model given State

law, requirements and District

Policy?

• What does the Governor’s challenge

mean to school “business?”

• What are the strategic points of

intervention?

• What are the possibilities with

Public / Private partnerships?

• What resources do we have that can

be re-directed or re-purposed?

• What do we need to do to make it a

win/win/win/win/win?Pure naiveté or the way forward?

What do we need to do? Rethink the problem…

First Things First:

• Stop the Bleeding. Take a district wide, open minded

approach to dealing with operating cost and

maintenance issues. No one has a monopoly on

good ideas.

• You can’t manage what you don’t measure.

• Do whatever possible to transition to life cycle costing

versus first cost only thinking.

• Deal with the politics of budget feudalism in the most

direct way possible.

• Do not under estimate the potential of empowering

students as part of a solution. Case studies

abound where student programs have saved School

Districts significant amounts of money while

enriching the educational delivery process.

January 10, 2011

Annual Report

Shawnee Mission School District commitment:

◦ Reduce usage of electricity, natural gas, and water

◦ Conserve natural resources

◦ Save money for other priorities

◦ Establish and maintain energy conservation program

Energy and Conservation Management Policy(Policy ECF adopted 1/11/2010)

Staff, volunteers, and students shall be encouraged to:

o Recycle and conserve energy at all facilities

o Actively participate in conservation efforts

o Assist the district in conserving energy, water, and natural resources

Energy and Conservation Management Policy

1 Make a Commitment

2 Assess Performance

3 Set Goals

4 Create Action Plans

5 Implement Action Plans

6 Evaluate Progress

7 Recognize Achievements

Review utility billings for accuracy:

Electricity and Natural Gas

Municipal Taxes and Franchise Fees

Wastewater and Stormwater

Implement computerized setback program for HVAC equipment

Conduct Energy Visits with principals and head custodians

Create work orders for Energy Conservation Measures (ECM)

Include Energy Efficiency Guidelines for new construction

◦ Turn off lights when not in use

◦ Switch to lower light levels

◦ Emphasize need for layered clothing in Spring and Fall

◦ Use set-back program for school breaks and holidays

◦ Close exterior doors and windows

◦ Reduce small appliance use

Electrical Consumption ◦ July, 2009-June, 2010 District-wide reduction: 6.7%

◦ July, 2010-Nov, 2010 District-wide reduction: 17.3%

Electrical Cost◦ July, 2009-June, 2010 District-wide reduction: 7.6%

◦ July, 2010-Nov, 2010 District-wide reduction: 18.8%

Utility Expenditures – Budget and Finance FY 09/10 Total Budget (electricity, gas, water): $8.33M

FY 09/10 Budget Reduction $600,000+ FY 10/11 Total Budget (electricity, gas, water): $8.47M

FY 10/11 Projected Budget Reduction $400,000+ Notes: In FY 09/10, KCPL received 14.3% rate increase In FY 09/10, WaterOne received 4.4% rate increase In FY 09/10, Additional 137,000sf for East, Northwest, & Highlands

Natural Gas Consumption ◦ July, 2009-June, 2010 District-wide reduction: 4.0%

◦ June, 2010-Nov, 2010 District-wide reduction: 23.7%

Natural Gas Cost◦ July, 2009-June, 2010 District-wide reduction: 4.7%

◦ July, 2010-Nov, 2010 District-wide reduction: 27.9%

By engaging the Staff and Students, Shawnee

Mission School District was able to effect these

savings with a Capital Investment

$0 Dollars

Cost / Benefit of LEED - Positive Impact on StudentsBorger New Elementary School – Borger, Texas

Standardized Test Scores Up – from “Academically Acceptable” to

“Recognized” Status for first time in 4 yrs

Attendance is up 1% = $42,000 more state funding

93.5

94

94.5

95

95.5

96

96.5

97

2005-2006 2006-2007 2007-2008 2008-2009 2009-2010

% A

nn

ual A

tte

nd

an

ce

School Year

Student Attendance Trend 3rd & 4th

1st & 2nd

Trend 3rd & 4th

Trend 1st & 2nd

New School

“ Current Education funding is largely formula based grants with no

performance incentives. The Federal Government’s recent move to performance

based grants, including the Race to the Top Program, has resulted in reform.

Therefore, I am proposing two competitive funds to incentivize management

improvements.”

Courtesy of Powersmiths

A Cleaner Greener EnvironmentSchools can lead the way!

Math / Computer Science

Roy E. Walker Elementary

Linking ASU Graduate Students in

Sustainability to High School

Teachers, Students and Facilities

CEFPI Moving Sustainability Forward SymposiumMarch 11, 2011 ▪ Erin Frisk and Mark Wood

Examples of Sustainability Projects

Site for Garden: Coronado H.S. Riparian Recovery: Metrotech H.S.

Vermicomposting: Various SchoolsSolar Car project: Bioscience H.S.

http://sustainableschools.asu.edu

Vocational Arts

Environmental Art

Language Arts / Speech

E.O. Wilson Rachel Carson Ann Taylor

David Orr Future Wilsons, Carsons, Taylors and Orrs?

Who is the

assignment about?

Photo: Jim Stewart

Facilities that teach…..

Living Roofs…Yikes!!

Radical, eco-fringe, crazy

green whacko idea?

Maintenance nightmare?

Consider this:

• The three things that destroy conventional roofs are ultraviolet

degradation, thermal shock and mechanical abrasion. Living

roofs eliminate all three.

• Living roofs enable the down sizing of civil infrastructure and

mechanical equipment. The energy benefits are well documented.

• Living roofs may extend the need to re-roof from fifteen years to thirty

years or more. What could you do with the funds budgeted for re-

roofing and the money saved via energy conservation?

• Chicago has over 200 living roof initiatives. They are not high risk.

• Living roofs are one of the most interesting features to K12 students,

especially when combined with rainwater harvesting.

Photo: Jim Stewart

Plant based grey water treatment

facility? stuff?

Maintenance disaster

waiting to happen?

Dangerous, unsanitary,

far out, hippie

Facilities that teach…..

Consider this:

• Plant based grey water systems can be less expensive to install

and operate, depending on site conditions and geology

• These facilities are a biology teacher‟s dream and very popular

with students. They are a cash center for the school and

student activities.

• Bio-engineering is a growing engineering field worldwide.

The Micro Energy Building. Began as a center for the Olympic athletes.

Now a community center and elementary school

Beijing Olympic Village

Plant based waste water treatment system – Beijing Olympic Village

Students interested in bioengineering tour the building and study the systems

Let’s think about this...The

aesthetic “beauty” of lawns

(monocultures) is very

subjective. They are also:

• Energy intensive

• Water intensive

• Chemical intensive

• Labor Intensive

• Intellectually sterile

• A diversion from more valuable

and cost effective

maintenance tasks

• A common source of chemical

and allergic reactions in

children and adults

• Lawn maintenance equipment is

• expensive to operate, insure

and maintain

• loud and potentially dangerous

“If it’s on your lawn, it’s in your lungs”

Dr. Roy E. Kerry, MD AAOA

On the other hand,

natural landscapes

can be:

• A source of food for the school

and the community

• Revenue producing

• Pedagogically a valuable part of

an integrated curriculum

• Catalytic influence in public /

private partnerships

• The focus of intergenerational

activities and community

pride

• A direct response to several of

the Governor’s Challenges

• Very beautiful, depending on

your values

Communities want it. Many children enjoy it.

Some children could

benefit from it. A Cleaner Greener Environment

Juvenile Justice

Expand Fresh Food Into Urban Centers:

Urban Markets Meet NY Produce

Economic Opportunity for all New Yorkers: Expanding Minority and Women Owned Business Enterprises

School landscape conversions can

reduce maintenance costs and

directly respond to the Governor’s

Challenge:

Conceptual Renderings

Conceptual Renderings

Promoting Environmental Stewardship

Nature‟s Classroom in the Pine Jog Preserve

O.W.L TeamOur World LEEDers

Leadership in

Energy and

Environmental

Design

Note! LEED for Existing Schools will be launched soon.

You don‟t have to be LEED Certified to be green. Many

schools are greening their curriculum first and working

toward greening their facilities.

Second through Fifth Grade Representatives

Presentation from Mr. Vertigro

Starting the Garden

This concept can be done in a parking lot or infertile soil that can be

regenerated using down-cycled organic material. It is being done

successfully in Florida, Arizona, Wisconsin and Canada. School

gardens are being established in vacant urban lots and roof tops

Garden Planted by Kindergarten to Fifth Graders

Our First Harvest

Packing

Office Sales(Thanks to Mrs. Salem)

Green Marketat Pine Jog Environmental

Education Center

Writing our Business Planwith Mr. Loren

So, if you want to increase your

profitability what can you do?

Writing our Business Planwith Mr. Loren

Make our pots out of

recycled containers so we

don‟t have to buy them.

Writing our Business Planwith Mr. Loren

Tell Jack not to eat so

many strawberries

when we‟re picken‟

„em!

The Pine Jog Community

Strawberry Festival

Making the TIME for Kids Cover(4,000,000 copies worldwide)

The Pine Jog kids cleared

over$2000 the first year 1/3 of the produce went home

1/3 of the produce went to

support the garden program

1/3 went to a local food bank

The program is so successful it is being expanded to all new schools and several existing

schools by requestNo one ever made Time

Magazinefor cutting grass.

At Pine Jog, success breeds success

“The school district has saved about $4 million since 2008 on its utility bills through

a program that aims to change behaviors of schools rather that investing money in

capital improvements such as new lights and air conditioners.”

“A big part of the savings has come from getting school principals more involved

by showing them their school‟s utility bills and how electricity is being used at their

school, Sanchez said. “They don‟t pay those bills, so they might not think about

that.”

“Sanchez said he also has made it in the best interest of principals to save energy.

Starting this year under a new incentive program, schools that save at least 5% on

their power bills over the previous year will get back 15% of those savings to use

for programs at their school. The most efficient schools will receive grants.”

“ Current Education funding is largely formula based grants with no

performance incentives. The Federal Government’s recent move to performance

based grants, including the Race to the Top Program, has resulted in reform.

Therefore, I am proposing two competitive funds to incentivize management

improvements

Governor Cuomo

Three Forces Dominate the Shift Age…• Accelerating electronic connectedness

• The expansion to global

• The empowering of individual

What are we doing to meet the evolving needs of

our Shift Age students and the rapidly changing

world they must compete in?

More important, can we capitalize the idea of

enriching the educational delivery process while

reducing the cost of school maintenance?

MS 180 – The Bronx

Why, How and Who of School Maintenance

Why? We can’t afford not to!Healthy children and staff

Better test scores

Reduced operating costs

Better allocation of resources

Community benefits

Enriched curriculum

How?Think outside the boxRespond to the Governor’s

Challenge in creative waysRevolving loans, not grants

Who?All of us; now