Works with architect to coordinate facilities and programs in Washington.
By: Frank C. D’Amico
WASHINGTON Before an architect’s plan for any new school can be completed, another plan must be consulted.
The "ed specs" or educational specifications plan details what will be included in a school, not just how it should look.
The Washington Board of Education is planning to open a high school in 2005 and has hired a consultant to write the ed specs. Judith Ferguson, a former superintendent, will create the proposal.
Dr. Ferguson, who owns her own consulting firm in Belle Mead, said there is no timeline for completion of the project, which will cost $17,500.
She said the state requires "specifications on every instructional space and any space where students gather." There must be details not only for every classroom, but also the cafeteria, library, gymnasium and offices.
"Often, the ed specs coordinator works hand-in-hand with the architect," she said. "I will also be working with the administration for their input."
Washington students currently attend high school in Lawrence. The contract between the two districts expires in 2005. Last year, Washington voted to open its own high school because of projected enrollment growth. The district expects approximately 620 high school-age students by 2006.
The ed specs will include the types of programs to be offered at the high school. Certain types of courses require specific classroom environments. If the school has biology courses, then laboratory space must be created.
Dr. Ferguson said the location of classrooms and other instructional spaces is a large part of the proposal.
For example, the cafeteria is almost always placed near the library, she said.
Also, furnishings must be listed for every classroom.
"We have to detail what furnishings will be in the classroom, permanent or moveable," she said. "We have to account for anything which takes up space."
Dr. Ferguson taught English at Allentown High School, was the business administrator in the Princeton School District and worked for the state Department of Education.
She was superintendent of the Newton School District for four years and was superintendent of a regional school district in Morris County for six years.
Dr. Ferguson received a doctorate in education from Rutgers University. For the past three years, she has been running her own consulting firm, Centennium.
"For high schools, we try to build communities within the school so the students won’t get lost," Dr. Ferguson said.