A variety of factors reduced enrollment at South Bend, Indiana, public schools over the course of two decades, leading the school system to periodically close or consolidate facilities. But as costs began overwhelming the district, it became that a more strategic, holistic approach was necessary. HPM worked with the School Board to develop recommendations not just for physical infrastructure but for essentially all aspects of public education in South Bend – facilities, programs, even street configurations and communication strategies to balance a system that was simultaneously overwhelmed in some places and under enrolled in others.                                                                                 

In conjunction with the school district’s architect, HPM administered a survey to stakeholders in the area and hosted four in-person and four virtual meetings to solicit as much candid feedback as possible from the people who would be impacted by the changes. Ultimately, HPM presented a plan consolidate the school district from four high schools to three, renovating another school to support a career center and a medical magnet program, and realign feeder schools, among other recommendations, to help the board serve its community with minimal disruption in a time of upheaval. In April of 2023, the South Bend School Board voted to accept the recommendations as provided by HPM.                                                                                                                               

MAINTAINING A STRONG COMMUNITY FOUNDATION

It was actually the school district’s architect who initially reached out to HPM, recognizing the need for a skill not always prioritized in the tool bag of every construction project: diplomacy. HPM’s experience and expertise were needed to manage both the logistics and the local politics of the school consolidation – not just to present the best recommendations but to frame them in a way the public would understand, helping the public see the value in what was being proposed, even in an otherwise contentious environment. Surveys, town hall meetings, personal conversations, and clearly laid-out recommendations meant that in addition to expert planning, HPM was able to present the school board with stakeholders who knew their voices had been heard and knew any future steps would be backed by data and the best interest of the community.

Greater Austin is one of the fastest growing major metropolitan areas in the U.S., and the population of Manor, located just 12 miles northeast of Austin, has grown by more than 160% since 2010.

Anticipating an additional 2,800 students in the next four years, Manor Independent School District passed a $280 million school bond program to be used for academics, technology upgrades, and new facilities. The District recognized the need for an experienced and dedicated program manager to oversee the program and hired HPM to ensure schedule and budget compliance as construction advances over the next three years.

The program includes the build-out and delivery of a new performing arts center, a new middle and elementary school, classroom additions for three campuses, a new early college facility at Manor High School, a transportation facility and four new athletic facilities. The bond program funding these improvements is one of the largest the district has initiated in its history.

Homewood City Schools was faced with a problem common to public school districts in the US — aging buildings and a growing student population. Administrators and school board members benefitted from a $55-million bond issue obtained through the City of Homewood and added to the monies the school district had in its reserves.≠

However, like most, the needs outweighed the resources, and competing priorities of those needs required a hard look at the data. Starting with studies, surveys and assessments and working from the best available data, HPM identified a bubble moving through the school population and planned accordingly. Three aging elementary schools received classroom additions, renovations and upgrades, leaving room for growth as necessary. The middle school, which is just beginning to feel the effects of the bubble, is a newer building that benefitted from space planning and interior renovations to add classrooms. The 70s-era high school needed the most help, and received more than a dozen new classrooms, updated athletics and performing arts wings and interior renovations to modernize the overall facility. Improvements to building automation and access control increased security and allows for troubleshooting to be performed from any device, which saves maintenance time and money.

Data-Driven Planning to Create a Community’s Dream School

Built in 1972, Homewood High School expected to hit two milestones at the same time: its 50th birthday, and its full capacity of 1,200. News of the bond issue, a hastily assembled land use study and the hopes and dreams of many community members spun into grand plans for a new high school. When HPM first met with the superintendent, we outlined our extensive process that starts long before plans, grand or otherwise, are made. Our preconstruction team started with a demographic study to assess the community’s needs and a facilities assessment of each school to see what we would be working with. Working with comprehensive information, HPM’s team determined that the construction of a new high school exceeded the system’s needs and far outstripped its budget. Instead, we were able to draw up a plan for renovations, expansions and updates to all five schools in the district to anticipate population growth, provide newer and more functional facilities and address the top priorities laid out in community meetings and surveys—while staying within the available budget.

Read a testimonial from a Homewood High School teacher.

HPM has worked with Round Rock Independent School District for more than nine years, providing strong advice and tangible cost savings built upon a strong foundation of trust. We are currently serving as the program manager for the district’s $500+ million capital bond program.

HPM’s role with the school district includes the three-year management of the planning, design, and construction of several large projects, including a new elementary school, a new aquatics practice center, expansion of existing schools, modernization of two high schools and more. This also includes technology, security and ongoing maintenance. We provide program controls with a dedicated interface with the accounting and financial systems of the district and development of the master schedule, including all procurement, design, construction, occupancy and startup milestones.

HPM’s planning team recently completed the 2022 Facilities Conditions Assessment utilizing a progressive planning software, Asset Planner from ASG of Ameresco. The FCA scope of work included updating the 2018 bond datasets and implementing an annual, up to date software database for Facilities Capital expenditures to be incorporated into the 2022-2023 Facilities Master Plan. More recently, HPM was selected to develop the 2023 Facilities Master Plan which will be used for the 2024 Bond Program. AS part of the process, the prioritization and criteria was determined, the data for establishing facilities investment framework was assembled, and all data sets were evaluated for the entire Capital Plan. A Facilities Capital oversight committee is being formed and FMP outreach for communications is underway.  GIS dashboards are being developed to support the communications efforts and assist with educating the community about the work and investigations the district is completing. Alson underway are capacity and utilization studies, which will provide the datasets for the number of students that can be accommodated for instruction in a building which can be affected by use, size, infrastructure, TEA requirements and District’s policy. The Facilities Master Plan will be completed in early 2024. 

Saving the Owner Time and Money, Despite a Pandemic
Construction projects around the world have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. For many, it has caused delays and budget increases, setbacks that public-school districts typically cannot afford. At Round Rock ISD, however, we have delivered over $75 million of work in a period of eight months. All summer 2020 projects were completed successfully on time. The projects included miscellaneous HVAC, roofing, bleachers, kitchen and flooring renovations. In addition, there were renovations completed on the PA system, fire alarm system, cafeteria stage, main distribution frame room, a track replacement and a field turf replacement. Electrical renovations were also completed, including replacement of panels and main switchgears. In order to provide a successful completion on these projects, the team helped to redefine and implement schedules, document management and control protocols. In addition to keeping projects on track, HPM saved the owner approximately $1 million in the first year through Guaranteed Maximum Price (GMP) reviews and pre-audit work.

When Heartland Middle School in Edmond, Oklahoma fell months behind, Edmond Public Schools reached out to HPM for assistance. The project opened for classes as scheduled in fall 2016. However, significant work remained incomplete, including substantial re-work and almost the entirety of an extensive punch list.

HPM provided a Field Coordinator to directly supervise the contractor’s completion of unfinished work, and facilitated the completion of the work during non-school hours, around the academic calendar, and in a timely manner. HPM’s efforts led to greater productivity from subcontractors due to proper planning and experienced oversight. Upon final completion of the project, HPM led negotiations of claims on the district’s behalf and recovered appropriate claims while maintaining the working relationship with the contractor.

Outstanding Project Award for Excellence in Education Facility Design, Learning By Design Magazine

Images courtesy of FSB

The essence of Fort Smith Public Schools’ Vision 2023 school bond (“Millage”) program was a strategic three-year plan to renovate existing facilities and add new structures, with work occurring at 26 school campuses across the community. The District faced numerous challenges, including a lack of internal project management capacity and no experience with large scale projects or new school construction in the past 30 years.

District leaders quickly recognized HPM as the only logical choice to be their stewards who could skillfully and safely navigate the journey for every Millage project, from preconstruction through construction and close-out. HPM immediately set about the task of assessing front-end documents and walking existing facilities to gauge efficacy of the Millage budget against the District’s Program of Requirements. HPM’s team immersed and worked with reputable area business leaders and law firms to gain familiarity with local business customs and practices. With acute situational awareness, HPM developed and implemented a strategic plan to identify qualified design teams so District officials could make informed decisions for Architect of Record at each campus project. HPM then initiated and led a campaign designed to foster contractor market interest and solicit competitive proposals from the most qualified builders in the area. To optimize value in each of the District’s projects, HPM led with best industry practices at every turn. Measurements of HPM’s success on behalf of Fort Smith Public Schools include a significant financial savings on Program Budget, which enables the District to continue enhancing their facilities beyond original expectations.

A Public Investment in Student Learning and the Community
In response to the Vision 2023 Millage school bond program, Fort Smith Public Schools placed their trust in HPM to manage the planning and execution of work at more than 25 school campuses over a three year duration. With a heavy amount of renovation work to be done, it was important that Fort Smith Public Schools chose the right team to manage the taxpayer’s money through the bond program. Fortunately for the school system, HPM is in the business of leading and risk management, with an extensive K-12 portfolio. Keeping in line with the project timeline, budget, and schedule is of utmost importance to the HPM team. In fact, the first wave of five elementary school security projects were completed in time for the start of the Fall 2019 semester. Several other projects are running ahead of schedule. Fort Smith’s investment in these renovations and additions represent a significant improvement- benefiting current students and many generations to come. School Superintendent Doug Brubaker stated, “We really want the public to know that the investment that they made in their kids and in their community is beginning to pay dividends and will continue to in years to come.”

Details:

• 26 Campus Projects
• Renovations and additions to 2 middle schools
• Renovations and additions to 2 high schools
• New Career and Technology Center
• New secure vestibules at 15 elementary school campuses, plus secure wall projects at 5 campuses

HPM provided construction management oversight from the legal settlement of the remediation and repair work at Hilltop Elementary School in Argyle, Texas. This work was completed in the summer of 2017.

HPM closely coordinated the required work with the Hilltop Elementary School administration and faculty since the District’s goal was to complete all renovation and restoration processes before the beginning of the next school year. Time was of the essence and every day during the summer months was critical. Although funding for this project was adequate and provided by the legal settlement, HPM worked diligently to ensure the quality and product were implemented correctly.

All furniture, fixtures, and equipment had to be consolidated and relocated to areas of the building that were not affected by the water infiltration. The gymnasium and cafeteria were the largest areas used for swing space. The floor slab was required to be cut in multiple areas so tunnels could be formed to install new sanitary sewer lines that had collapsed. The spoils from these tunnels were stockpiled and removed from the project site. Damaged rubber floor tile and carpet had to be demolished and removed.

HPM worked closely with the vendors to ensure the new products were durable and would sustain a high level of performance from daily use. Our team met weekly with the general contractor to monitor all issues and risks associated with the project. Safety was a top priority.

Monthly Status Reports were provided to the Argyle ISD Board of Trustees to ensure the project delivery date would be met and adequate time would be provided for the faculty to mobilize for the next school year.

HPM’s completed the goal and delivered not only in time but a few days early.