Sherri+Carey

Performance Improvement Intervention

Organization Name: Waterville High School

Description: Waterville High School is located in central Maine 20 miles north of the capital in Augusta. The city of Waterville has a population of approximately 15,000 with all most 20% living below poverty. The high school educates about 600 students living within the city of Waterville. The high school just underwent major renovations to a school that had not been revised since it was built in the 1960's. This remodel of the structure was completed via a subsidized loan for only segments of the renovation such as the physical and surrounding structure; the loan did not include any renovations to the equipment or furniture within the classrooms or building. This furniture is very out of date and not ergonomically correct in the computer lab, bringing many issues to the forefront such as hazards and unsafe working environments for staff and students. The original plan for the remodel was to be done in phases including furniture and equipment moving the high school into the 21st century. The city decided only to complete the first two phases of work. The later phases were not approved by the budget and will not be completed. This high school would like to be completely remodeled in a timely fashion providing the best and safest place for learning to occur within the next 5 years.


 * Performance Gap **


 * Actual Current Performance. ** Currently our computer labs were moved into new rooms as part of a remodel in the academic structure of our school. The labs are slightly smaller then the existing labs. The existing furniture is being used in the labs including the desks and chairs for 24 pc units. The stations have been constructed to have tower CPUs and have pullout drawers for the keyboards. Each desk is approximately six feet long accommodating two computer stations.


 * Desired Performance. ** The desks need to be updated to accommodate new technology. The current stations have large cubbies for housing a tall CPU that is no longer used. The keyboard is not at the proper height to be ergonomically correct for anyone including students. The new desks should also house the wiring for a safer work space as well.


 * Performance Gap. ** The difference between actual and desired performance is the need for an environment in which students can work comfortably and ergonomically correct. There are many states that have laws encompassing the need for safe work environments but we often don’t think about students in the work environment. Solving the problem of ergonomically correct work stations would allow student to have a comfortable and safe environment in which to work in the computer labs..


 * Cause Analysis. ** After interviewing the principal, this problem has been addressed but not solvable because of current budget restrictions.