With schools facing tight budgets, some may delay new equipment purchases and put off maintenance to save money. Operating school equipment longer and often harder, however, increases the risk of costly breakdowns.

"THE FOURTH 'R': RECESSION"
The headlines tell the story. "Schools Confront the Fourth 'R': Recession," reports a cable network. "Reading, Writing, Recession," is how a newspaper sums up the struggle of many schools to serve students with less funding.

NEW BUILDINGS, NEW EQUIPMENT
On the flip side, some school officials say the recession has helped control costs for projects they still can, or must, pay for. Increased competition is the reason, they explain, and new buildings mean new equipment that must be insured.

ENERGY COSTS ADD RISKS
The economy is increasing risk in other ways. As schools and universities add complex equipment to save on energy costs, custodians and other workers are often expected to operate and maintain generators and equipment they may not understand.

SCHOOL DAYS, BUSY NIGHTS
It takes equipment to provide heat, power and cooling for school facilities, which are open days, evenings and weekends, year round for public events. With money scarce for teachers and supplies, schools can't afford a breakdown.

WE OFFER YOUR CLIENTS MORE
HSB can quote monoline coverage that is customized for your school clients. As the leading equipment breakdown insurance specialist, we also work with agents, brokers, associations and other carriers to provide superior school programs.

HSB HAS SOLUTIONS
We share our equipment knowledge and experience with your school and university clients to help them prevent a loss.

• Click here for HSB's free equipment webinars, which can help school equipment operators improve maintenance, efficiency and reliability.
• You can link the page to your own website and brand an invitation to your customers. They can self-register by clicking on the webinar they choose.
• Visit HSB Equipment Care on HSB's website for maintenance information on boilers, air conditioning, electrical equipment, and more.
• Get more detail in our online technical journal, The Locomotive.