Facilities frustration

Lawmakers at the Capitol yesterday questioned the pace of distribution of $456 million appropriated for Division of Public School Academic Facilities and Transportation. Meanwhile, I visited yesterday with local officials regarding the building standards required by the same division. The rules promulgated by this administration of educational facilities are much more stringent than have been in years past, and for the most part, they make sense. Adequate space is needed for children with special needs, and there are reasons to have a pitched roof of 2 1/4" to every foot in order to ensure that drainage is no problem.

However, when infrared automatic toilet flushers are required for every new toilet in every school district in Arkansas on the basis of cleanliness, that's a little bit of overkill. Now that wall-hung toilets are required, it puts a burden on districts with limited resources, because renovations require a reinforced wall strong enough to hold it (about $600 per toilet, or if you're building a gym that requires enough of them to meet code, about an extra $12,000 per bathroom in a AA school). These standards aren't codified, which means that when an insurance claim is made for a damaged roof, etc., most policies won't cover repairs/replacements made to facilities division standards. It can get burdensome in a hurry. Here's today's ADG report on other matters of education discussed at the Capitol yesterday.