37th Annual Maintenance & Operations Cost Study--SCHOOLS
Apr 1, 2008 12:00 PM, By Joe Agron
Karen Wagner High School San Antonio, Texas; Architect: PBK Photographer: Jud Haggard
As tough economic conditions and rapidly rising costs continue to strain school district budgets, spending by K-12 institutions on maintenance and operations (M&O) faces growing pressure.
The median school district allocated a smaller percentage of total district expenditures (TDE) to M&O in 2007-08 — 8.35 percent, down from 9.19 percent the year before, according to American School & University's 37
As noted last year, spending on energy/utilities remains high, reflecting skyrocketing costs to operate facilities. Rising prices also are forcing available funds to be redirected from other areas. For example, maintenance staff is being required to “do more with less” — the square footage maintained per full-time custodial worker jumped 14 percent to 26,786 from 23,408 the year before.
Following are findings from the latest M&O Cost Study that can help you in benchmarking expenditures at your institution. Data provided reflect actual spending by school districts on M&O and are not intended to be “ideal” amounts for allocations. Numerous factors — such as age and overall condition of buildings, the labor market in your area, climate, etc. — also will affect your costs when compared with the national medians.
Maintenance & Operations Costs
| Total Payroll | $380.48 |
| Custodial** | $279.41 |
| Maintenance** | $88.87 |
| Grounds** | $35.99 |
| Outside Contract Labor | $41.70 |
| Total Energy/Utilities | $299.43 |
| Energy (gas, electricity, other fuels)** | $246.60 |
| Utilities** | $40.37 |
| Trash Collection/Disposal** | $9.94 |
| Total Equipment & Supplies | $68.18 |
| Custodial/Maint. Equip. & Supplies** | $45.58 |
| Grounds Equip. & Supplies** | $13.59 |
| Other | $86.55 |
| Total M&O* | $876.34 |
| Total District Expenditures (TDE) | $10,501 |
| M&O as % TDE | 8.35% |
| *Calculated from subtotals (in bold). **Based on fewer responses than the total because of schools that combine some of these categories. |
|
Maintenance & Operations Costs
| Total Payroll | $2.05 |
| Custodial** | $1.61 |
| Maintenance** | $0.53 |
| Grounds** | $0.22 |
| Outside Contract Labor | $0.21 |
| Total Energy/Utilities | $1.52 |
| Energy (gas, electricity, other fuels)** | $1.25 |
| Utilities** | $0.22 |
| Trash Collection/Disposal** | $0.05 |
| Total Equipment & Supplies | $0.38 |
| Custodial/Maint. Equip. & Supplies** | $0.27 |
| Grounds Equip. & Supplies** | $0.06 |
| Other | $0.40 |
| Total M&O Budget* | $4.56 |
| Total District Expenditures (TDE) | $58.69 |
| *Calculated from subtotals (in bold). **Based on fewer responses than the total because of schools that combine some of these categories. |
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Total gross area of buildings maintained
| Less than 125,000 square feet | 12 |
| 125,000 to 249,999 square feet | 16 |
| 250,000 to 449,999 square feet | 21 |
| 450,000 to 699,999 square feet | 15 |
| 700,000 to 1,249,999 square feet | 14 |
| 1,250,000 square feet or more | 17 |
| No answer | 5 |
Study methodology
To arrive at data for the AS&U Maintenance & Operations Cost Study, a detailed questionnaire was mailed in October 2007 to chief business officials at the nation's public school districts asking them to document their institutions' M&O expenditures per student and per square foot for the 2007-08 school year. Categories include:
Per student: Based on total district enrollment (average daily attendance as of October 2007).
Per square foot: Based on total gross area of all district buildings maintained, including corridors, offices and common space.
Total district expenditures (TDE): Amounts for the 2007-08 school year.
Total maintenance and operations (M&O) expenditures: Including salaries, benefits, outside contracts, utilities, energy, trash collection/disposal, equipment and supplies, etc., for custodial, maintenance and grounds.
Custodial: Those individuals responsible for building upkeep and cleaning.
Maintenance: Those individuals who perform skilled jobs, such as HVAC, electrical or plumbing repair.
Grounds: Those individuals responsible for landscape upkeep and maintenance.
Payroll: Including benefits.
Average salary: Annualized, excluding benefits.
Outside contract labor: Those hired for specialized jobs to maintain or repair building systems or equipment, such as HVAC maintenance or repair.
Energy: Including gas, electricity and other fuels used to operate facilities.
Utilities: Including water, telephone, etc.
Other: Most often identified as clerical costs, equipment repair and rental, insurance and travel.
M&O expenditures — the past 20 years
| 1989 | 11.70% |
| 1990 | 11.31% |
| 1991 | 9.38% |
| 1992 | 10.73% |
| 1993 | 9.03% |
| 1994 | 9.21% |
| 1995 | 9.05% |
| 1996 | 9.55% |
| 1997 | 9.59% |
| 1998 | 9.40% |
| 1999 | 9.09% |
| 2000 | 9.03% |
| 2001 | 8.50% |
| 2002 | 7.78% |
| 2003 | 7.43% |
| 2004 | 7.70% |
| 2005 | 7.51% |
| 2006 | 7.58% |
| 2007 | 9.19% |
| 2008 | 8.35% |
8,742 Mean number of students of responding school districts.
Total gross area of grounds maintained
| Less than 10 acres | 6% |
| 10 to 24 acres | 9% |
| 25 to 49 acres | 13% |
| 50 to 99 acres | 22% |
| 100 to 199 acres | 18% |
| 200 acres or more | 20% |
| No answer | 12% |
$6.9 Mean total M&O expenditure, in millions, of responding school districts.
Personnel update
Mean number of full-time custodial, maintenance and grounds personnel at school districts:
| Custodial | 58 |
| Maintenance | 25 |
| Grounds | 8 |
Privatizing M&O
17.7%
The percentage of school districts contracting out maintenance and operations services.
Total maintenance and operations expenditures
| Less than $450,000 | 10% |
| $450,000 to $999,999 | 10% |
| $1 million to $1,749,999 | 18% |
| $1,750,000 to $2,749,999 | 15% |
| $2,750,000 to $6,499,999 | 22% |
| $6,500,000 or more | 15% |
| No answer | 10% |
$1.9
Mean amount spent annually, in millions, on energy (gas, electricity and other fuels) by responding school districts.
Square-footage details
| SF maintained per full-time custodial worker | 26,786 |
| SF maintained per full-time maintenance worker | 107,439 |
| Acres maintained per full-time grounds worker | 45 |
| SF maintained per building | 72,533 |
| SF of bldg. maintained per student | 177.61 |
1.4
Mean amount of square feet, in millions, maintained by responding school districts.
Salary update
Median salary for custodial and maintenance personnel at school districts: Custodial:$28,547 Maintenance:$40,000
