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Richardson, Texas
Independent School District |
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Richardson Independent School District (RISD), located in northern Dallas County, serves a population of more than 34,000 students. RISD manages a portfolio of over 55 buildings, including four high schools, eight junior high schools, one freshman center, 41 elementary schools and an alternative-learning center. The facilities are spread across 38 square miles within the city of Richardson, as well as portions of Dallas and Garland.
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With an average school building age of over 30 years and skyrocketing enrollment rates,
the district grew concerned about the ability of its facilities to support its mission
of delivering outstanding education. The dsitrict lacked current, comprehensive information
about the condition and requirements of all its buildings, crucial to developing
defensible capital plans and winning needed funding. RISD also wanted support in evaluating
and prioritizing needs and accurately estimating the costs of
renewal and construction projects.
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VFA performed a detailed condition assessment of all district schools, providing RISD
with a foundation for effective planning. VFA integrated its VFA.facility software with
a custom-developed “Functional Equity” application for school administrators,
promoting consistent communication between school officials and building managers in determining
needs. The system enabled both school officials and maintenance and
operations personnel to access, manage and evaluate relevant information about
RISD's building portfolio and capital improvement needs.
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With accurate information about facility needs and costs, and tools for prioritizing requirements,
RISD developed defensible capital plans and budgets for school repair and construction initiatives
which have won the support of the City Council and the community. A $351 million
bond issue was overwhelmingly passed to fund the district's facilities renewal plans, including
$125 million to revitalize the district's oldest schools. Five years later, a second
bond referendum was passed, providing $145 million in funding for technology updates, instruction equipment and
improvements to school facilities and district stadiums.
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