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Maine Department of Education |
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Within the State of Maine, there are approximately 230 Local Educational Authorities (LEAs).
These Authories are responsible for operating and maintaining the State's 725 schools,
which encompass approximately 1,000 facilities.
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When the Maine Legislature committed $100 million to assist public schools with renovations
needed to provide healthier learning and teaching environments, the Department of
Education sought out a facilities capital planning solution to better manage information
about facility needs. The DOE wanted a centralized decision support tool to assist with
the facilites capital planning, including the capability to analyze the condition and
requirements of buildings and systems, and to evaluate how to most equitably allocate
capital resources. The DOE also needed a consistent means of gathering accurate data about
facility improvement requirements across the State, while allowing an appropriate
degree of local control within the LEAs. |
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Working with local school systems and third-party consultants, VFA completed detailed
condition assessments of all school building across the State. Third-party consultants
and school personnel who assessed local schools were certified
in VFA's condition assessment
methodology through the VFA Facilities / Infrastructure Certification Program, ensuring
building data was gathered and input consistently across the individual school districts.
VFA.facility software served as a repository
for facility information, and enabled
LEA personnel throughout the State to access and manage information about facility assets
and plan for long-term needs. |
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Today, individual school systems across Maine continue to plan for facilities capital needs using
VFA.facility. The DOE can compare facility conditions and needs statewide,
and objectively prioritize deferred maintenance and other capital requirements
based on a detailed understanding of current needs, their associated costs, and the
long-term impact of funding decisions.
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