Administrative Procedure: 540
FACILITIES PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT
Background
Recognizing that the quality of District facilities can enhance effective teaching, learning and administration, the District will strive for facilities which offer the best possible environment, within financial limitations, for District activities.
Specifically, the District will aim toward:
• New and rejuvenated buildings which facilitate organizational and instructional patterns in support of the District’s educational philosophy and instructional goals;
• Meeting health, safety and occupant comfort requirements;
• Providing building renovations as needed to meet accessibility requirements for persons with disabilities; and
• Building design and construction which enable low maintenance costs and energy conservation.
Procedures
1. Long Range Facilities Planning
1.1 A District-wide Long Range Facilities Plan, forming the basis for capital investment decisions in school facilities, will be maintained by District staff and will take into consideration:
1.1.1 Educational program requirements and trends,
1.1.2 Operating capacities and current condition of existing facilities,
1.1.3 Current land use, anticipated changes in land use,
1.1.4 Absorption rates,
1.1.5 Yield rates,
1.1.6 Community demographics,
1.1.7 Local community and economic development strategies, and
1.1.8 Other considerations.
1.2 The vision for the Long Range Facilities Plan is “a renewal plan which will accommodate changing demographics and educational programming initiatives to support 21st century learning skills for students in fully modernized facilities in an equitable and financially sustainable framework that supports the District’s strategic planning goals and priorities”.
1.3 The long range facilities planning principles of the District are:
1.3.1 Enable implementation of the District’s goals and priorities in the Long Range Facilities Plan;
1.3.2 Create and maintain quality programs in accessible, well-equipped locations;
1.3.3 Maintain appropriate sized facilities that will accommodate changing enrolment and educational programs over the next ten to fifteen (10 to 15) years; and
1.3.4 Strive for increased efficiency in operational and capital costs.
1.4 The District Long Range Facilities Plan shall be reviewed, and if necessary adjusted, bi-annually.
2. Annual Planning
2.1 Enrolment projections will be produced for each school annually for a ten (10)-year period and any schools expected to be over-capacity will be identified.
2.1.1 Portable classrooms or re-purposing of rooms not used as classrooms will be considered for minor fluctuations above a school’s capacity.
2.1.2 School catchment boundary changes will be considered if adjacent schools can reasonably absorb the number of students exceeding capacity of a school.
2.1.3 Where space in adjacent schools is not available for the long term, permanent space projects and site acquisition projects will be identified and included in the Capital Plan submission to the Ministry.
2.2 The condition of each school or facility will be evaluated by the Facilities Branch with the Facility Renewal and Upgrade Program adjusted accordingly.
2.3 Through evaluations of the school requirements and new education programs, renovation projects to reconfigure existing educational space for the future needs will be identified and considered as potential projects in the Capital Plan (major projects) or Facility Renewal and Upgrade Program (minor projects).
2.4 Significant deficiencies identified by the risk management consultants will be considered as potential projects in the Capital Plan (major projects) or Facility Renewal and Upgrade Program (minor projects).
2.5 Any permanent space projects will be discussed with the City of Delta to ensure coordination with proposed development in Delta as defined in the Official Community Plan and Area Plans.
3. Capital Planning
3.1 A Five-Year Capital Plan shall be submitted annually by the Board in accordance with Ministry policy, and in complete alignment with the District Long Range Facilities Plan.
3.2 The Capital Plan will prioritize District major projects, including:
3.2.1 Site acquisition and development of new schools due to enrolment growth generated by new residential development.
3.2.2 Additions to existing school sites and/or buildings due to enrolment growth or consolidation.
3.2.3 Replacement or reconstruction of school buildings having exceeded their functional or economic life.
3.2.4 Major rejuvenation of school buildings to extend their functional or economic life.
3.2.5 Major upgrades to improve safety and/or meet current building codes (i.e. structural seismic resistance upgrades).
3.2.6 Major renovations to school buildings to suit changes in facility usage or education programs.
3.3 Such projects shall be supported by the Long Range Facilities Plan and if approved are paid for by the Ministry capital fund.
4. Facility Renewal and Upgrade Program
4.1 A Five-Year Facility Renewal and Upgrade Program will be maintained and updated on an annual basis by the Facilities Branch.
4.2 The program shall contain projects required to maintain facilities through their anticipated economic life and prevent any premature deterioration of these assets.
4.3 Applicable projects include:
4.3.1 Roof replacement;
4.3.2 Improvements to protect the building fabric;
4.3.3 Mechanical and electrical upgrades;
4.3.4 Loss prevention (fire protection, alarms);
4.3.5 Health and safety upgrades;
4.3.6 Structural and non-structural seismic upgrades;
4.3.7 Functional improvements;
4.3.8 Technology infrastructure upgrades;
4.3.9 Access for persons with disabilities;
4.3.10 Asbestos abatement;
4.3.11 Upgrades to existing site improvements.
4.4 The Ministry funds school renewal and upgrading funding by way of the Annual Facility Grant, which will be coupled with approved Local Capital and operating funding to expend on the facilities specified in each year of the program.
4.5 Schools which have major capital projects funded by the Ministry may not receive renewal and upgrading funding if the work can be included in the major project.
5. Special Projects
5.1 The Ministry may approve capital projects which are outside of the Capital Plan process and are funded separately from the Annual Facility Grant. Examples of such projects are structural and non-structural seismic upgrading, and building envelope remediation.
5.2 These types of projects are to be integrated with approved Capital Plan and Facility Renewal and Upgrade Program projects to their fullest extent.
6. Education Specifications
6.1 Education Specifications will be maintained for elementary and secondary schools.
6.2 They will be updated as Ministry policy and program requirements change.
6.3 Input will be obtained from all stakeholders including District departments, school representatives, Parent Advisory Councils and others as necessary.
7. External Consultants
7.1 Processes for developing specifications and designs for new building or renovations shall provide for involvement of affected stakeholders.
7.2 Since an effective working relationship between District staff and external consultants is essential to the efficient design process, a group of three to four (3 to 4) prequalified architecture and engineering consulting firms will be maintained for capital projects.
7.3 Approved capital projects will be assigned to these consultants on the following basis:
7.3.1 Previous performance on similar projects in the District;
7.3.2 Ability to respond in the time available;
7.3.3 Proportion of projects presently assigned to them.
7.4 A review of the prequalified consulting firms will be carried out from time to time.
Reference: Sections 20, 22, 23, 65, 85 School Act
Revised: September 2018