BOSTON, MA – Today State Treasurer Steven Grossman and the Massachusetts School Building Authority (“MSBA”) announce the release of the 2010 Needs Survey report. The MSBA’s statute requires that a periodic Needs Survey be conducted to assess the condition of all K-12 public schools in the Commonwealth. The MSBA completed its first Needs Survey in 2005, and launched its second Needs Survey in the spring of 2010.
The 2010 Needs Survey is the culmination of months of work commissioned by the MSBA to collect, verify, update and analyze data on the conditions of district-owned public K-12 school facilities throughout the Commonwealth. The Needs Survey data is one of the many tools that the MSBA will use when assessing applications for funding, and the new findings supplement the information gathered during the initial Needs Survey in 2005.
“The benefits of this data cannot be underestimated. It provides a clear picture of where we need to direct our school building resources and how best to prioritize key projects in the coming years,” said Treasurer Grossman. “At the same time, the ratings demonstrate the tremendous progress we have made since the 2005 survey. These investments in our schools are paying great dividends in the form of healthier and more effective learning spaces for our kids.”
“MSBA's 2010 Needs Survey results reinforce that we are fulfilling our mission to improve learning environments across the state in a fiscally responsible matter,” said Katherine Craven. “The Needs Survey is a treasure trove of data that will be one of the many tools the MSBA uses to ensure that we are funding educationally appropriate and fiscally responsible school projects where they are needed most.”
The data collected was a result of the observations of independent design and engineering professionals whose task was to utilize a standard survey tool to collect data and review the general building systems conditions, overall physical environment and space utilization at each school in the Commonwealth. The data assists the MSBA in determining how the needs of individual schools fit within the statewide spectrum of need and is one factor that the MSBA uses to assess school needs for potential funding.
Each school received a building systems conditions rating on a scale of 1 to 4, based on 7 site and 18 building systems, with 1 meaning that the school is in generally good condition with few, if any, building systems that need repair. Over 84% of the state’s 1,757 schools received top scores for building conditions and less than 2%, 23 schools, received the poorest rating. These numbers are an improvement over the results in 2005, when 62 schools received the poorest rating of 4. Of the 62 schools that earned a 4 in 2005, 9 have received funding from the MSBA for new construction or renovation, 19 are currently in the MSBA’s Capital Pipeline and 6 are closed. The MSBA reached out to all 33 districts that received the lowest rating in 2005, some districts chose not to seek funding, others prioritized a different project, and others could not secure the local funding to pay their share of a school construction or renovation project.
Schools were also rated on how well the general physical environment supports teaching and learning. The MSBA analyzed a number of factors including daylighting, classroom location and size, floor plans, access to essential core spaces, maintenance practices and other criteria to assign a rating from 1 to 4, with 1 meaning that the school’s physical environment was conducive to learning and teaching. Ninety-seven percent of the state’s schools earned the top ratings in this category. Only 27 schools, less than 2%, received the poorest rating of 4. Open floor plans and high percentages of interior classrooms were common features in the schools that received the worst ratings.
Each school was also rated on how spaces within the building are utilized as compared to statewide norms. The Needs Survey data reveals that the vast majority of schools, 92%, have adequate space to support their current enrollment and educational programs. In fact, one in five schools was determined to be oversized for the current student population. Less than 8% of schools received an Above Average Space Utilization rating, meaning that there are some indications that the school is not adequately sized to accommodate its enrollment and educational program.
The MSBA strives to find the right-sized, most fiscally-responsible and educationally-appropriate solutions to create safe and sound learning environments. The MSBA reformed the Commonwealth’s formerly unsustainable program, which was more than $11 billion in debt. The MSBA has made $7.6 billion in reimbursements to cities, towns and regional school districts for school construction projects. These timely payments have saved municipalities over $2.9 billion in avoided local interest costs and have provided much needed cash flow to communities.
Read the 2010 Needs Survey.