Tight financial situations and budget cuts can affect the quality of resources of public schools. Many public schools are currently struggling to keep up with technological times and to even find sufficient space for classrooms and students. The first step in solving this education problem is to create additional space for students. School portables just might be the solution to this problem.
The need for school portables
When a school does not have sufficient space available for all of its students, it results in larger class sizes. Larger class sizes often produce failing grades and poor attendance rates. The teacher simply cannot keep up with all of the students. Even if a school has additional teacher interest, this does not solve the problem if there are no additional classrooms available. School portables can act as a type of portable classroom, often offering the same advantages of a traditional classroom.
The advantages of school portables
School portables are a type of cheap portable buildings. They are produced in one fifth the time and at half the cost of site built homes and buildings. Also, manufactured housing assembled in a controlled, factory environment use fewer materials and generates approximately 35 to 40% less waste than comparable site built units. This reduction in materials used also means that the portable buildings are more affordable, perfect for schools on a tight budget.
Cost savings in other ways
Another important advantage to portable classrooms is that they can also result in other types of cost savings. Adding additional space to an existing school will also increase the school?s utility costs, including heat, electrical, and internet. Fortunately, these buildings use highly efficient materials that can cut energy costs.
The Northwest Portable Classroom Project conducted by Washington State University in 2003 found that portables built to the 1993 code were 44% more energy efficient than models built 25 years prior. Furthermore, portables built to 2000 codes are 20% more energy efficient than the 1993 models. As new build techniques are discovered, the efficiency ratings are likely to continue to increase.
Catered to the individual schools needs
Perhaps one of the biggest advantages of a traditional brick and mortar classroom is the ability to customize the room to the school?s individual needs. Fortunately, you can also customize classrooms with school portables. These portables can be painted, designed, and customized to the specific needs of that classroom. Do you need additional science space? Simply build more vents and add more insulation to the walls. Do you require a classroom for technology? Wire the Wifi to reach the new space and then design a computer lab. The customization possibilities are endless.
Many public schools find that they do not have enough space. The overwhelming reason to use portable classrooms was the speed of delivery (35%), followed by shifting enrollments (26%), and the relatively inexpensive nature of the classrooms (25%). With student enrollments constantly changing, portable classrooms can give schools the added space they require. School portables are affordable, customizable, and extremely efficient.
