In 2020-21, HWDSB Facilities Management staff worked to develop a new way to measure building conditions that includes factors such as equity and community voice.
Rather than looking only at repair or replacement costs, this will create a more holistic snapshot of school condition and help HWDSB prioritize limited resources with staff and community input.
There are four factors in this new building condition measurement:
- Facility Condition Index (FCI) (50%): To eliminate confusion with Ministry staff, HWDSB will incorporate Ministry official FCI data for the purposes of consistency. This fluctuates over time, but helps us consistently allocate funds for upcoming renewal needs.
- Equity and Accessibility (25%): In the interests of accessibility and equity, we assess whether a school has an elevator, a barrier-free entrance and single staff washroom, and all-gender washrooms.
- Alignment to Benchmark (15%): We compare a school’s condition to the Board-mandated benchmark strategy categories. For elementary schools, this includes gyms, science, visual arts, learning commons and play fields. For secondary schools, this includes science labs, learning commons, sports fields and gymnasium floors.
- Consultation (10%): We also consider the school community perspective on the facility. We will survey staff, students and families about the condition of the facility, so that this measure can be applied in 2022.
Updated on Monday, November 29, 2021.