The Essential Guide To School Facility Planning: Using a Strategic Process to Save Time and Money

Like any other smoothly-run operation, school districts must operate under a strategic plan – a foundation upon which to build – and one that provides a way to prepare for inevitable changes. Over the last 30 years, author Denny Hill has lived and breathed school district planning, first in the hot seat as a staff member of one of the fastest growing school districts in the nation, and then as a consultant to districts throughout Colorado and neighboring states. School districts have worked with Hill for decades because of his thorough understanding of large and small districts with expanding and contracting enrollment concerns. This book is a compilation of lessons learned over those many years, culminating in a concise strategic planning methodology called The Capital Facility Planning Process™. It takes both the new and seasoned planner through the seven concise steps of planning, from the situation audit through managing and monitoring the plan. Hill’s thoughtfully-developed, step-by-step process is illustrated through actual examples of good decisions as well as wrong turns to avoid. The Essential Guide to School Facility Planning shows school boards, superintendents and CFOs how to use a strategic process to save time and money. It is filled with informative charts and graphs, case studies, examples of specific tools a planner can use in the process, things to consider along the way, and sage advice. This is truly a school district planner’s go-to guide for continuous planning. Denny Hill, self-proclaimed “Schoolonomist”, has spent over 30 years fine-tuning a proven approach to strategic and facility master planning. His comprehensive Capital Facility Planning Process™ balances immediate needs and future challenges for school districts, with an eye on the optimal long-term solutions. Denny has been responsible for projects involving local government services, growth management, socioeconomic impact analysis and fiscal impact assessment, to name a few. He continues to work as Advising Consultant, helping school boards, superintendents, CFOs and other key personnel navigate school districts through big picture facility and site planning issues.