Sierra Facility Consulting has extensive experience developing school Facility Inspection Systems including the use of the Facility Inspection Tool (FIT). Let Sierra Facility Consulting assist you in satisfying the FIS requirements and help you create a solid foundation for future school facilities improvements.
The Facilities Inspection System (FIS)
All school districts or county offices of education participating in the SFP or DMP after July 1, 2005 are required to establish a Facilities Inspection System (FIS). This facility assessment is intended as a benchmark of school facilities conditions and provides appropriate documentation for future school repairs. The goal of the Facility Inspection System is to ensure that all schools are maintained in good repair and are safe and healthy for students and staff.
To implement the FIS requirement, the OPSC has included certification language on the Application for Funding (Form SAB 50-04), the Application for Joint-Use Funding (Form SAB 50-07), the Application for Charter School Preliminary Apportionment (Form SAB 50-09), and the Five-Year Plan (Form SAB 40-20).
The Facility Inspection Tool (FIT)
The Facility Inspection Tool (FIT) is intended to serve as the uniform definition of good repair and is used to satisfy the FIS requirement. The Facility Inspection Tool (FIT) includes a rating system that evaluates fifteen facility components. Moreover, the FIT provides an overall ranking of the facility conditions of the school.
Entity
Requirement
School Districts
• Establish a Facilities Inspection System (FIS) after July 1, 2005 for all schools, if participating in the School Facility Program (SFP) or Deferred Maintenance Program (DMP) to ensure each school is maintained in "good repair".
EC 17070.75(e)
• Complete the school facility section of the School Accountability Report Card (SARC) for all district schools.
Education Code (EC) 33126(b)
County Offices of Education
• Establish a FIS after July 1, 2005 for all county operated schools, if participating in the SFP or DMP.
EC Section 17070.75(e)
• Oversight responsibilities at API deciles 1-3 schools.
EC 1240(c)
• Complete the school facility section of the SARC for all schools.
EC 33126(b)
FIS Legislative Background
Senate Bill 550:
As a part of the Williams Settlement, Senate Bill (SB) 550 (Chapter 900, Statutes of 2004 - Vasconcellos), directed the OPSC to develop the Interim Evaluation Instrument (IEI) as a definition of good repair for school facilities. SB 550 also required the OPSC to provide the Governor and Legislature options for consideration in the development of a permanent State standard for the condition of California's school facilities. These options were provided in the report titled "Good Repair Report: Options for a Permanent State Standard." This law also required the Legislature to adopt a permanent standard of good repair by September 1, 2006, which was achieved with the passage of Assembly Bill 607.
Assembly Bill 607:
AB 607 (Chapter 704, Statutes of 2006-Goldberg) adopted the existing IEI definitions in statute, expanded the good repair standards to include the overall cleanliness of school facilities, and required the OPSC to add a ranking and scoring system to evaluate the conditions of schools on or before July 1, 2007. The result of the requirements of AB 607 is the Facility Inspection Tool (FIT), which was adopted by the State Allocation Board on June 27, 2007. On May 27, 2009, the State Allocation Board adopted a revised FIT that will more accurately align the evaluation results with realistic expectations of what constitutes good, fair or poor facility conditions.
