Property Management
Policy development and planning
Managing school property is a big task and is not something many principals have received training on.
Good forward planning can help alleviate difficulties. Major maintenance, buildings on the move, fires and other disasters are not the time to be wondering how to cope and what to do next. Planning will not answer all the questions, but at least it will provide a place to start.
Boards of trustees are responsible for property management and the implementation of school property programmes. However, much of the daily operational and administrative tasks can be delegated to other staff such as the caretaker or administrative staff.
School Charter
All school boards are required to have a charter. The charter establishes the aims, objectives and targets of the school to give effect to the national education guidelines and the board's priorities. The charter has effect as an undertaking by the board to take all reasonable steps to ensure that the school is managed, organised, conducted, and administered to meet the purposes set out in the charter. The charter ensures a degree of continuity and encourages cost-effective decision-making.
10 Year Property Plan
A 10-Year Property Plan (10YPP) ensures that Boards take a long-term systematic approach to planning for a school’s capital and maintenance requirements. It is used to identify projects that need to be funded by a schools budget through their 5 year agreement and regular annual funding programmes. 10YPPs enable an accurate schedule of maintenance work (some of which is cyclical and needs to be re-programmed every few years) and capital funding that is used to create or improve school assets.
Boards must have an approved 10YPP and the Ministry must be notified of any changes to the plan.
Disaster Recovery
What will your school do following a fire, flood or other disaster? Up to date detailed records will not replace years of work but they will help when replacing equipment and administrative records. Keep regular computer backups offsite and ensure that the inventory of equipment and resources is accurate.
See also Procedures following a major fire or other disaster (click here, or see your NZEI field staff).
How to keep schools safe when not occupied such as the weekends and during the holidays? About 70 per cent of all fires in schools are arson related and happen mostly during weekends, holidays and one week either side of holidays. Use these tips to improve safety and reduce loss:
- ensure fire/security alarms are reliably inspected and maintained
- consider introducing random patrols to look for evidence of unauthorised activity and to act as a deterrent (advise the Police on any issues)
- make sure all combustibles are removed from around the site (regularly remove any dry vegetation accumulating over holidays)
- remove any rubbish bins located close to the building (ideal bonfires)
- check security lighting systems are fully operational (check at night so you can identify any blind spots, etc.)
- remove any unnecessary combustible material (paintings, mobiles etc) from inside buildings
- ask teachers to take home any valuable resource material
- make sure all electrical equipment is turned off at the wall plug
- check all intruder alarm detector heads are unobstructed
- close and lock all internal doors
- ensure all windows and external doors are secure and locked
- share all this information with all staff members.
Installing a dual intruder and smoke detection alarm system in high-risk areas is a proven safeguard for both detecting unlawful entry and raising the alarm should the intruder start a fire. If your school does not have such a dual system it should consider including one in its10-Year Property Plan.
Housing
Under education housing policy, housing is classified as either core or non-core.
Core housing
Core housing meets the following criteria:
- it is necessary to provide housing within a reasonable travelling distance of the school, or
- the host schools are considered hard-to-staff, or
- the property is a principal's house on or adjacent to a school site.
Most core houses are in rural areas and are necessary for recruitment. The Ministry has progressively transferred the ownership of core houses to boards who then assume responsibility for collecting rents, paying rates, arranging insurance, the maintenance and capital upgrades. The board retains the rental income and the transfer of core housing is seen as being financially beneficial for most schools.
Non-Core Housing
Non-core houses are those that do not meet the core housing criteria as outlined above. These houses are all managed centrally, through the Ministry’s national housing contractor. The national housing contractor is responsible for all property management functions from tenancy management to arranging and paying maintenance and rates.
Caretakers’ Housing
Boards continue to undertake all aspects of tenancy management for caretaker houses, as well as arranging general routine maintenance. Boards receive maintenance funding for this, plus rates, as part of their operations grant. Capital maintenance is processed by way of making application through the Ministry. Boards are not required to arrange or pay for insurance on caretaker houses.
Setting the Rent
The Ministry conducts an annual rent review of school houses which will reflect the condition and location of each house. This review process only relates to teacher and principal houses and does not include caretaker houses. Setting rentals nationally for teacher and principal tenants ensures teacher rentals are fair to the tenant and the Board. In addition, Boards need to be charging the correct rental rate in order to maintain an adequate cash flow for managing their houses.
Sector Forums
For the last four years the Ministry has conducted regional forums with the sector every school term and in each of our four regions. These forums, which have a property focus, provide an opportunity for sector representatives and the Ministry to exchange information so that all parties are better informed both at a national and local level.
The agenda is set by both the sector and the Ministry and much of the new policy development and initiatives taken over recent years have been informed by discussion at the forums.
Ministry representation is provided by national and local office managers while the sector groups comprise representatives of mainly NZ School Trustees' Association, PPTA, NZEI, Te Runanga Nui o Ngä Kura Kaupapa Mäori o Aotearoa, NZ School Executive Officers' Association, Association of Proprietors of Integrated Schools and Principals' Associations.
Dates for the 2007 forums are as follows:
|
Northern |
Central North |
Central South |
Southern |
Term 1 |
7 March |
28 March |
21 March |
14 March |
Term 2 |
26 June |
20 June |
13 June |
29 May |
Term 3 |
5 September |
22 August |
29 August |
11 September |
If you have an issue about property policies and processes that you want to discuss, get hold of your sector representative and ask them to raise it at the next forum. Also ask your representative what was discussed at the forum once it has been held. School specific issues should of course be taken up with the nearest Ministry local office.
Other sources of information
- Your local Ministry of Education office
- www.minedu.govt.nz
- A Guide to Property Management by the Principals' Implementation Task Force. Published in 1990 by the Ministry of Education and still relevant
- Health and Safety Code of Practice for State Primary, Composite and Secondary Schools. Ministry of Education 1993. Updated and republished in 1998
- Approved Code of Practice for the Use of Visual Display Units. Occupational Safety and Health, Department of Labour 1995
- Employment agreements that have sections covering health and safety issues
- Property Management Kit for Schools: Building Industry Authority 1999.
Property Management Handbook
The Ministry is publishing a new property management handbook which will cover:
- planning, including 10-year property planning
- project management, including selecting and contracting a project manager, obtaining building consents and letting construction contracts
- property policies
- completing Ministry paperwork easily
- accessing funding
- evaluating property projects.
The handbook will help schools meet project management requirements for all capital works projects that come into effect from July 1, 2007, when a new approval process will come in for the majority of projects, not just those costing less than $10,000.
Recent changes include a new tender report form and project checklist to use when submitting information to the Ministry for approval.
Schools undertaking projects costing less than $10,000 with limited documentation will stop from July 1, 2007. This option will be replaced by a more streamlined approval process that will apply to the majority of projects, not just those costing less than $10,000.
The above changes are part of a review that aims to:
- provide greater assurance on the procurement processes used in school property projects
- reduce compliance
- improve the clarity of documentation available to boards of trustees, project managers and Ministry staff.
Schools can find out more about the new handbook in 2007 when they can:
- attend network provision and property forums
- participate in Ministry-run cluster meetings
- talk to property consultants.
