Academy District 20 has openly discussed more than $500 million in deferred maintenance and is proud of its resource management and planning efforts.
Our commitment is to students and student success. Any time a student cannot access required programming or when an urgent safety issue emerges, those fixes are prioritized and tackled as quickly as possible. Items that appear on D20’s deferred maintenance list are not preventing students from accessing their education.
Why Does ASD20 Have Deferred Maintenance?
Academy District 20, like many school districts, has a deferred maintenance list due to a number of factors, but it boils down to intense competition for limited budget dollars. At the state level, districts have had their budgets constrained for years due to a factor called the Budget Stabilization Factor. Since 2010, this has cut D20 funding by more than $267 million, on top of being the lowest per pupil funded district in the state.
With intense competition for staff state-wide, we have more heavily invested in staff over buildings. Additionally, most District 20 dollars are allocated to salaries and benefits for staff to ensure students have the best possible learning environments.
Finally, as buildings age, competition for capital improvement dollars increase, meaning not all projects can be tackled as they are identified. When those projects are identified and unable to be immediately addressed due to competition for existing dollars, that is when they are identified as deferred maintenance projects.
Useful Building Lifespans
All buildings have a useful lifespan, and as buildings begin to age, their maintenance needs increase. As a result of cost, it is impossible to address every need as it emerges, and with multiple aging buildings, competition for limited capital improvement dollars intensifies. It is critical to our proactive long-term planning to track these maintenance projects to determine when buildings are at the end of their useful lives.
Dynamic Nature of the Deferred Maintenance List
The ASD20 deferred maintenance list is constantly evolving, impacted by factors such as inflation, local regulations, and federal laws. Additionally, as our teams allocate work time or capital dollars, or as inspections are completed, the list may change multiple times daily.
Long-Term Planning
Certain items on the deferred maintenance list are critical, and will be prioritized first. Other items on the list are not needed as urgently, but are included for future planning purposes. Part of the ASD20 philosophy is to apply long-term planning to prevent reactive and costly emergency repairs and expenditures.
Ensuring Student Safety
The projects on the deferred maintenance list do not necessarily indicate safety issues. Academy District 20 is tracking each item on this list to meet goals in long-term planning and resource management, ensuring that facilities remain safe and functional. When an urgent safety issue emerges, it is immediately prioritized. This would be reflected on updated versions of the deferred maintenance list.
ADA Projects and Compliance
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), projects exist on the deferred maintenance list, and our desire to tackle these projects are aimed at better serving students and the community. ADA-related projects focus on improvements rather than only compliance issues. Our commitment is to ensure that all students continue to have access to educational programming, and to meet the individual needs of every student.
Our Proactive Approach
Like responsible homeowners, we conduct proactive inspections to avert significant safety issues or building shutdowns which would impact student learning and our broader community. Our focus is preventing learning disruptions and maintaining safe and secure environments. Our teams are committed to regularly addressing and completing projects as we strive to proactively manage our ever-evolving deferred maintenance list.