Facilities Manager Interview ~ Lisa Coles
Securing an interview with a Facilities Manager has been quite challenging. Initially, I tried
to arrange a meeting with the Facilities Manager for Richmond City Public Schools; however
after interviewing with a group of students from our class, he was no longer accessible for
further interviews. I am not familiar with anyone personally from any of the surrounding school
systems, so I decided to try to secure a phone interview with someone from my home school
district of Trenton, New Jersey.
Dwayne C. Mosley, Director of Facilities Construction Department for Trenton Public
Schools was my initial contact. However, after sending him my interview questions he
forwarded my questions along with my request for an interview to Everett Collins who is the
Facilities Manager. I had not heard from him so I called the office and ask for Mr. Collins; I had
to leave a message for him because he was not available. At my wits end, I called the Facilities
Manager for Chesterfield County Public School, Mr. Wayne Kitchen and left a message for him
too. (Mr. Kitchen returned my call but I had already secured my interview with Mr. Collins)
I had been communicating with Dwayne Mosley by email. I began to search the emails for
another contact number for Mr. Collins and I found a number that I had not called. It was now
the ninth hour and I figured I would throw a Hail Mary pass and call the number. To my surprise
Mr. Collins answered the phone, it was his cell number.
It was Wednesday; the day after hurricane Sandy hit the east coast of New York and New
Jersey. I knew the schools were closed and that as the Facilities Manager he would be up to his
neck in serious issues concerning his school district. I really did not think he would have the
time to talk to me and I felt bad for asking but I asked anyway. He was with the Superintendant
and they were touring schools to determine when they would be able to open. He asked me to
call him back in thirty minutes. I did and he was able to grant me my interview.
Facilities Manager Interview ~ Lisa Coles
The first question I asked him was about his duties and responsibilities as the Facilities
Manager. His ultimate responsibility, he said, is to ensure that the district is functioning
properly on a daily basis and that it meets all state and federal regulations. For example, when
we spoke the district was experience flooding in some schools due to the wind and rain caused
by the hurricane. Mr. Collins had to visit all the schools to determine which ones needed repairs
before opening. He also has to know the regulations for dealing with asbestos, which is a
problem for his district, because there are many schools that were built prior to 1968 when
asbestos was used in their construction. The central high school, for example, was built in 1928.
Therefore, before a nail can be driven into the wall to install a projector or internet cables,
contractors who are certified in asbestos treated buildings, have to be used for needed repairs,
installations, and construction.
Mr. Collins is responsible for hiring, training, evaluating, and if necessary firing the custodial
staff for all buildings. However, he does this in conjunction with the building principals. He
requires the principals to be involved because he wants them to be accountable too. If there are
issues in the building that can be correct or fix internally, the custodian and principal can handle
it. If it is a larger concern like major electrical problems or chipping paint (asbestos) a repair
request is forwarded to his office.
The principals communicate their building needs to Mr. Collins through an on line system.
The head custodian and principal both have an access code for ordering supplies and submitting
work orders for their building. In November of each year, he has to complete a Comprehensive
Maintenance Report. He sits down with each building principal to ascertain the needs of their
building and their wants. Once he prioritizes the data on behalf of the district, it is then submitted
to the county supervisor and the state board of education.
I
In New Jersey ever municipality (city, township, or borough) is located within a county.
Facilities Manager Interview ~ Lisa Coles
For example, Richmond, Chesterfield, Henrico, Powhatan would have their own governing
bodies but would also be part of one larger county. Each municipality has a representative on the
county board of freeholders. The state department of education allocates education money to the
counties who then divvy them up between the municipalities. This is problematic because the
surrounding townships have a much wealthier tax base thus better schools however often the
state funds are divided equally among the school districts of each municipality. Sometimes the
city gets less because the townships have larger student populations however the city schools
have greater unmet needs. That is why it is so crucial for Mr. Collins to use the Comprehensive
Maintenance Report to identify, justify, and support the need for funding for his district.
New Jersey is a worker friendly state, not a right to work state like Virginia. This means that
most workers are a part of a union including the team of people that work for Mr. Collins. His
employees can internally handle the majority of the needed work, such as plumbing, electric,
carpentry, painting, and masonry work, however if additional workers are needed, he has to
obtain them from the union hall. This is significant because the district pays retirement, health
insurance and other benefits for his full time employees. Mr. Collins’ immediate supervisor is
the Business Manager. Since she has been on the job she has privatizes the food services, bus
drivers, and school security officers. Many feel this has been detrimental to the schools however
it has saved the district money. She also wanted Mr. Collins to layoff his workers and use union
hall trades men/woman with lower level skills grade C (residential) instead of A (industrial).
This too would save money because of the pay differential between the two skill levels and
eliminate the cost of benefits the district would have to pay by using union hall workers.
However, this would diminish the reliability of his work staff causing a decrease in productivity.
He was able to fight off that move and keep his staff.
Facilities Manager Interview ~ Lisa Coles
Another thing he has to contend with is the state regulations. He has to ensure that the schools
meet the state and federal standards and mandates issued by the likes of OSHA, IDEA, Historical
Societies and others. Quite often he has to deal with the district being fined for not complying
with a state or federal mandates concerning building modifications. For example, many of the
buildings are so old that in order to comply, thousands of dollars would be needed and there is no
money available from the state or county board to make the necessary modifications or
improvements. He then is responsible for filing the necessary paperwork to explain the situation
or appear before the state board to defend the schools position.
As a future administrator it is important for me to understand the procedures and politics
involved in running not only my school but the district as a whole. Individual schools do not
operate in isolation; they are affected by city, state, and federal regulations and politics. It is also
important to have a working relationship with you Facilities Manager. Although Mr. Collins
works to treat ever school fairly, it cannot hurt to have him on speed dial and for him to
recognize and answer your calls. Let’s face it; it is beneficial for a principal to have a personal
relationship with the Facilities Manager because it may expedite his/her requests and provide
insight on district thus school related issues.