School Bond Success: A Strategy for Building Americas Schools

(Paperback, Fourth Edition)

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Many school buildings across America are falling apart due to age or lack of maintenance. Others are outmoded and do not meet the needs of modern educational programs and curricula. Unfortunately, school administrators and boards of education have found it increasingly difficult to obtain the funding necessary to correct facility problems in their districts. However help is at hand in the fourth edition of a popular title originally published in 1999. Holt updates the status of school facilities in the U.S. and provides new information on the gap between federal, state, and local funding. New to this edition is a discussion of the importance of senior voter contributions for the success of election campaigns. The nuts and bolts of securing the funding for facility construction, a component of the building process usually overlooked in training administrators, are clearly outlined in chapters that begin with a look at the problem of aging schools and follow through the planning and project development phases to the bond campaign and election-day. Filled with tips, checklists, and insights on the details from experienced school leaders, this is the perfect guide to consult every step on the way to victory.

Reviews

Dr. Carleton Holt has revised his well-written book on school bond referenda with updated sections and new research-based material. This text has long been a staple source of information of educators and a required text in finance courses. The text is easily read and covers the entire scope of actions necessary for a successful bond referendum.A new section of the book deals with the financial gap between local and state/federal help on school facilities. This gap has long been a source of some confusion to educational administrators. Dr. Carleton has shed more light on the subject. In the last chapter, there is a new section addressing the senior voter. The senior voter is a critical element in every bond referendum, often times being the voting block that determines success or failure of the referendum. Dr. Holt has addressed this issue with recent research findings that will help the reader better understand and deal with these phenomena. The Fourth Edition of School Bond Success: A Strategy for Building Americas Schools is a must read for every educational administrator who will be faced with trying to get a bond referendum passed successfully. -- Glen I. Earthman
This book serves as a timely and relevant resource for school leaders at all levels to understand the importance of tactical planning for success when considering facility needs. I have personally served on a team who used this resource and the practical information shared within to design our needs, create a plan, communicate with stakeholders, engaging in campaign activities, and ultimately pass a bond issue with over 50% voter turnout and 76% voter approval.The result for that district was to replace nearly 75% of the academic space for the district with new or renovated facilities to serve students well for their future. I am thankful for the strategies and action steps I gained by being a student of School Bond Success, as students in that district are now learning in safe and educationally appropriate school facilities. -- Paul Gausman, PhD, Superintendent of Schools, Sioux City Community School District, Iowa
School Bond Success is a must-read for superintendents, school board members, finance and facilities managers, and aspiring district community leaders. The new edition provides state of the art research on the changing demographics and voting patterns impacting today's school finance and bond elections. How should district leaders attract the support and vote of senior citizens The authors offer pragmatic tools to ensure senior citizens serve as bridge builders, not barriers, to school bond success. It is an imperative resource for everyone involved in school finance and school facilities planning and design for twenty-first century schools. -- Steve Jenkins, PhD, Retired Educational Leadership Professor, School Administrator and Consultant

Author Bio

Carleton R. Holt, an associate professor and educational leadership program coordinator in the department of curriculum and instruction, brings an extensive background of leadership in the field of education to the University of Arkansas. He has served as a band director, coach, and school administrator in the public schools in Iowa and South Dakota for over thirty years.