School Bond Success: A Strategy for Building America’s Schools

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.

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.