Often a community's largest single investment is in its physical plants, including public school buildings and grounds. An essential factor in efficient school district operation is a well-organized, responsive plant operations and maintenance division. Maintenance has generally been defined as those services, activities, and procedures concerned with preserving, protecting, and keeping the buildings, grounds, and equipment in a satisfactory state of repair. By maintaining school plants at optimal efficiency levels, operational costs are kept low. Maintenance staffs differ from district to district, depending on the scope of operations, and may include painting, masonry, carpentry and cabinet-making, electrical services, refrigeration, office machines repair, television and electronic equipment repair, pipefitting and plumbing, plastering, heating and ventilating, sheet metal, furniture repair, landscaping and grounds maintenance, glazing, and various types of shop and machine work. The first chapter discusses facilities maintenance and operations organization. Succeeding chapters focus on job descriptions, preventive maintenance, energy conservation, snow removal and sanding, grass cutting and field maintenance, community use of facilities, and bid specifications. Appendices contain sample forms for employee performance ratings, work requests, pesticide procedures, school facility use policies, inspection logs, and specifications. (MLH)