FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SchoolDude.com Partners with ASBO International to Recognize Excellence in Educational Facility Management through New Awards Program

SchoolDude.com and ASBO International Honor Three
School Districts With new Facilities Masters Award

CARY, N.C. (Dec. 7, 2005) - SchoolDude.com, the nation's leading provider of web-native operations management solutions for educational professionals, announced today that the company has partnered with the Association of School Business Officials International (ASBO) to develop an awards program that recognizes and rewards school districts who meet national standards for excellence in facilities and maintenance operations.

The new Facilities Masters Award program provides national accolade for school districts that have achieved exemplary performance in areas such as facilities maintenance planning, facility audits, environmental safety, maintenance and management, evaluating facility maintenance efforts and exemplary practices. ASBO International and SchoolDude created the award program in an effort to help educational operations professionals develop outstanding facility maintenance programs despite the steady nationwide decline in maintenance and operations budgets.

Lee Prevost, President and Founder of SchoolDude, said, "The SchoolDude team is proud to be part of this much needed award program that recognizes educational facility professionals who are dedicated to achieving and promoting excellence in the profession, as well as providing quality educational facilities for enhancing student performance."

Roger Young, Chairman of the ASBO International School Facilities Management Committee and Assistant Superintendent for Finance/Facilities at Manchester Essex Regional School District in Massachusetts, said, "The purposes of the Facilities Masters Award program are to improve the maintenance of school facilities, to promote best facilities maintenance practices, to help build the skills of school business officials and plant managers, and to recognize school districts who have achieved the highest standards in facilities maintenance."

The foundation of the Facilities Masters Award program includes national best practices established in the Planning Guide for Maintaining School Facilities . Created by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), the National Forum for Education Statistics and ASBO International, the publication is designed to help educational professionals develop, implement and evaluate a facilities maintenance plan. The Planning Guide focuses on maintenance as a vital task and offers guidance through recommended best practices.

Using those guidelines, Facilities Masters Award applicants gain valuable insight into how their facility operations programs compare to national standards for excellence. All award applicants receive feedback and recommendations on their facility programs, and each applicant that meets or exceeds the award criteria receives the prestigious Facilities Masters Award.

ASBO International recognized the 2005 Facilities Masters Award Pilot Program winners at its 91 st Annual Meeting and Exhibits in October. Award recipients included: Steve Morlino, Executive Director Facility Management, Newark Public Schools, NJ; Amador Garza, Executive Director of Facility Maintenance and Improvements, and John Trevino, Director of Facilities Maintenance and Improvements, North East Independent School District, TX; Terry Schueler, Operational Services Executive Director, and Ron Taunt, Director of Facility Services, Thompson School District R2-J, CO.

Award winner Nancy Hunt commented, "Applying for the Facilities Masters Award was an opportunity to benchmark our department with other comparable facility services departments, as well as to invite an outside entity to critique our planning and budgetary process, work request system, long-term facility financial goals and employee training guidelines." Hunt added that as a result, "We began to hold our department to a higher level of accountability by establishing guidelines and standards for our work, and we began to see a higher level of support from the staff at each school."

Steve Morlino also noted a positive impact at his district. "It sets a new tone and a new standard. When I tell a community group that we're one of three schools in the country who can claim this award, people's eyes open. It brings respect to the district and says a lot for the people we have in place." Morlino added that the award keeps best practices at the forefront of his mind. "It keeps us on the edge of our seats. You can keep people accountable and maintain benchmarks because you're more under the microscope."

Award recipient Amador Garza agreed. "Winning the award shows that we are targeting what needs to be done and are doing the right things. People can see that we're cost effective and that taxpayers' money is being used diligently. The Facilities Masters Award keeps you mindful of that." Garza also noted that applying for the award was a rewarding experience. "We wanted to make sure we got everything out of the award process. You usually get more out than you put in, and that certainly was the case with this program."

Young added, "Just by going through the award process, applicants will find additional best practices to implement to further improve their schools. In addition, participants will have better maintained facilities, which support academic achievement." Over the coming months, Young will conduct seminars for state and regional ASBO affiliates to inform members about the merits of the Facilities Masters Award program, as well as to discuss how school districts can plan strategically to improve facility maintenance.

To learn more about how the Facilities Masters Award program can help school districts maintain quality facilities for enhancing student performance, visit www.asbointl.org/recognition for additional details and to download the application. Applications must be postmarked by April 1, 2006. To learn more about the facilities best practices outlined in the Planning Guide for Maintaining School Facilities , visit www.asbointl.org or http://nces.ed.gov to download a copy.

About SchoolDude

With more than 1,700 clients, SchoolDude is the nation's leading provider of web-native operations management solutions designed exclusively for the unique needs of educational professionals. Backed by the industry's only Legendary Service Program, SchoolDude's broad suite of online applications is revolutionizing the business of managing educational operations. SchoolDude's web-native tools for operations management offer easy to use, affordable solutions to help both small and large educational institutions save money, increase efficiency and improve services. For more information about SchoolDude, visit www.schooldude.com .

About ASBO International

The Association of School Business Officials International, founded in 1910, is a professional organization of around 6,000 members that provides programs and services to those in school business. ASBO promotes the highest standards of school business management practices and provides professional growth opportunities to achieve the most effective use of resources in the education of children. For more information about ASBO International, visit www.asbointl.org.