Assessing Facilities Needs
This section focuses on recommended steps for facilities planning, site selection, scoping school space needs, and assessing existing buildings and sites for potential school use. Also included are tools and information on local charter school regulations and resources and introductory information about locating schools on Tribal land. Whether planning a new school, adding facilities to a current campus, or relocating/expanding to a new site, these tools help school leaders explore and document key considerations and constraints.
Experienced charter school leaders and advisers who have participated in the NISN Facilities Project have reiterated that the journey from initial plans to a finished project is rarely a straight line. Some of these stories are captured in the videos and case statements presented in the Learning from Practitioners area. Locations, plans, designs, and budgets can change. School leaders are well-served by combining persistence about reaching facility goals with flexibility about how the goal is reached. Tools in this section can help identify needs early on, evaluate options, estimate project costs, and establish helpful guidelines for design scope.
Navigating Resources
The resources in this section will not apply to all projects; however, the sequence shown below is recommended for accessing and using relevant tools and materials.
1. Understanding and Tracking the Facilities Planning Process
The central tool for planning a major facility project is the Facilities Planning Steps Checklist, which lists specific steps for planning preparation, exploring options, assessing sites, and completing projects. This checklist will help leaders understand where they are and what comes next and can be used to log progress.
2. Increasing Understanding of your Local Context
Charter school facilities exist within the context of local regulatory authorities and requirements and schools have varying resources available depending on their location. Understanding the charter school landscape in your state is critical in planning major facilities projects. Click on your state on the map below to access a profile of key information and to view any existing charter schools that serve Indigenous communities (information also viewable in spreadsheet form). For those planning to locate on Tribal lands, there are additional factors affecting chartering, site selection, financing, and facilities development. Introductory information about these considerations can be found in the resource Federal Indian Policy and Facilities Development in Tribal Areas.
3. Assessing Site and Facility Needs and Options
This collection of worksheets supports basic facilities planning. Facility Needs Assessment Worksheet helps users calculate how much space a school will need overall, and for specific uses like classrooms, offices, etc. The School Site Assessment Worksheet helps school leaders evaluate one or more potential school sites and captures key property and information about existing buildings, if applicable. The Facility Affordability Worksheet helps leaders understand short- and long-term costs of leased facilities.
4. Accessing Additional Support
- Some worksheets have been adapted from the publication The Answer Key: How to Plan, Develop, and Finance your Charter School (Capital Impact Partners, 2017) and LISC’s SchoolBuild website. These resources offer more comprehensive guidance and additional tools for facilities projects.
- Once school leaders have completed the type of initial steps outlined here, the tools found in the Construction Process section will support detailed planning, project management, and budget refinement.
- Accessing expertise is often helpful during initial planning; see the searchable Technical Assistance Directory for organizations serving your area.
Linked Resources
- Facilities Planning Steps Checklist
- Facility Needs Assessment Worksheet
- School Site Assessment Worksheet
- Facility Affordability Worksheet
- State Charter School Regulations and Resources