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This section of the report reviews the facilities use and management of the Tyler ISD (TISD) and contains:

A. Facilities Planning and Guidelines
B. Facilities Construction
C. Facilities Use
D. Americans with Disabilities Act
E. Custodial Operations
F. Facilities Maintenance and Repair
G. Work Order System and Reporting
H. Energy Management

FACILITIES MAINTENANCE AND REPAIR

Efficient and effective management of a district's facilities requires a well structured and managed maintenance department that:

  • is adequately staffed with the appropriate levels and mix of skilled tradesmen, helpers, custodians, supervisors and support staff;
  • is organizationally structured to operate effectively and efficiently;
  • has adequate information to plan and manage daily operations, and
  • is responsive to work order requests from schools.

Facilities maintenance is primarily charged with ensuring school facilities are kept in good condition that promotes a positive learning environment for students. Facilities maintenance is also responsible for ensuring the ongoing safety of facilities.

CURRENT SITUATION

The Facilities Services Department is responsible for facility maintenance and repair of all TISD campuses. The department also has a maintenance schedule for most craft areas, such as paint, grounds, heating ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC), electrical, and pest control.

Work orders are submitted by campuses and are prioritized in the following manner:

  • Emergency items that affect the health, safety and security of all students personnel, and buildings within the districts;
  • Instructional items that affect the ability to teach current curriculum;
  • Aesthetic items that affect the overall appearance, and
  • Convenience items that affect personal comfort and ease of use.

Facilities Services craftsmen submit Daily Work Reports by craftsmen or craft area, that capture the work order number, start and ending times, material costs used, completed/uncompleted job status and a remarks section (used if job is incomplete).

The Facilities Services Department also stocks parts for HVAC, plumbing and electrical supplies on a computerized inventory system. Craftsmen complete product inventory forms to select parts and the store room operator checks out the parts and supplies to the craftsmen. The operator records the inventory in the computer and reorders when necessary.

FINDING

Facilities Services craftsmen are can immediately obtain parts needed for work orders. The parts room was established this school year in response to problems in getting parts from out-of-town vendors in a timely manner. Repair work was being hampered because parts were not readily available. All stocked parts are now maintained on the computer system, which has resulted in a more effective process for managing smaller parts and supplies and has reduced department costs for purchasing such supplies.

COMMENDATION

The Facilities Services Department is commended for instituting a parts room for the HVAC, electrical and plumbing craft areas, which reduces purchasing costs to the department.

FINDING

Facilities Services provided actual work orders completed for the week of September 11-15, 1995. The work orders indicated that response times vary significantly by craft area. For example, the HVAC department's average completion time was two days, while the painting crew completed their work orders within 44 days. In addition, average man-hours to complete work orders ranged from two hours per work order to 13 hours per work order (Exhibit 11-21). Averages are based on the actual number of days and hours recorded. Not all work orders listed the completion date and man-hours.

Work orders are not assigned an expected amount of time for completing the maintenance activity. Hence, management has no way to determine if staff are being used in the most efficient manner. Based on the sample of one week's worth of work orders, an average response time for all craft departments was 11 days to respond to the work order and five hours to complete the required task. Focus group participants stated that response to work orders is not timely.

Exhibit 11-21
Craftsmen's September 11-15, 1995 Work Orders
Average Completion Days and Average Man Hours to Complete
Craft # of Craftsmen Total # of Work Orders Average Days to Respond Average Man Hours to Complete
Maintenance Services:        
Electrical 4 54 16 3
Maintenance AC Filter & Fire Extinguisher 1 20 3 2
Plumbing 4 45 5 3
HVAC/Kitchen Equipment 1 20 6 5
HVAC 3 55 2 6
Subtotal 13 194 32 19
Average     6 4
         
Property Services:        
Custodial 5 24 1 3
Glass/Lock 1 23 10 2
Carpentry 5 70 40 4
Paint 7 34 44 5
Grounds 9 43 3 9
Athletics/Grounds 1 6 0 13
Environmental Irrigation 1 4 6 5
Integrated Pest Management 1 22 2 3
Subtotal 30 226 106 44
Average     13 6
Total 43 420 138 63
Average     11 5
Source: TISD Facilities Services work orders for September 11-15, 1995

Recommendation 96:

Establish time standards for completing work orders and set response time goals that reflect the expectations of the users.

Facilities Services should establish time standards for responding to the four types of work orders submitted and then establish expected completion hours for the types of tasks requested. The daily work request should include the expected response time and the number of staff hours required to complete the task. The craftsmen should continue to post the actual amount of time taken on the work order when completed. The information should be tracked and analyzed to compare actual to expected response times; to calculate staff hours by work order types and individual staff members; and to schedule work order projects effectively. TISD should reward staff who consistently respond to work orders in a timely manner and who perform work orders in less than the number of expected man hours.

IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGIES AND TIMELINE
1. The director of Facilities Services should meet with selected users and craft coordinators to determine work order response times and expected completion hours by work order types. March 1996
2.The coordinators for Maintenance and Property Services should ensure that the Daily Work Report includes the expected response time (turnaround time) and completed hours by work order type. April 1996
3.The Maintenance and Property Services coordinators should meet with their respective craftsmen to explain how the expected response times and completion times will be used to evaluate employee productivity. May 1996

FISCAL IMPACT

No fiscal impact is associated with this recommendation. The recommendation can be completed with existing staff and resources.