The Present Condition of and Potential Uses for Abandoned Public School Buildings in Kentucky

• Main Author: Tiller, Warren P.
• Format: Others
• Published: Digital Commons @ East Tennessee State University 1981
• Subjects: Education; School administration; Educational Administration and Supervision
• Online Access: https://dc.etsu.edu/etd/2808; https://dc.etsu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=4199&context=etd

The purpose of this study was to investigate school building utilization in Kentucky and make appropriate recommendations for efficient procedural guidelines in the decision-making process for future utilization. The study was presented in five parts. First, related literature was searched for criteria for guidelines for building utilization. Second, a survey instrument was mailed to the 181 school superintendents of Kentucky to determine building utilization. One hundred percent were returned. Third, one school district with abandoned buildings was examined to determine utilization and to project relative costs of retaining the buildings compared to replacing them when needed. Fourth, based on the literature, the state-wide survey, and the illustrative existing situation, a set of procedural guidelines was developed and mailed to a jury of nine experts in the field of school building planning. The jury rank ordered the guidelines with 100 percent return. Fifth, based on the findings of the study, recommendations were made for the efficient utilization of school buildings. The following guidelines for the decision-making process for future school building utilization were considered significant. (1) Population trends and shifts; (2) Birth data; (3) Population Projections; (4) Long range planning in all educational areas; (5) Bonding potential; (6) Migration; (7) Future building cost as compared to remodeling cost of abandoned school buildings; (8) Cost of remodeling abandoned school buildings as potential school facilities to accommodate projected population increases. The following recommendations are made for the efficient utilization of public school buildings: (1) Coordinated planning of educational facilities with public and private agencies is needed. (2) Enrollment projections should include population characteristics, land utilization, birth data, migration, and employment trends. (3) Abandoned school buildings should be maintained for community use with possibilities of returning them to the mainstream of public education. (4) Careful study should be made by the school districts, involving the general public, when seeking alternative uses for vacant or unused facilities. (5) The State Department of Education should study the possibility of permitting capital outlay funds to be used for renovation of abandoned school buildings. (6) Additional research is needed to determine the process school districts should follow in dealing with abandoned school buildings.