An operational methodology for optimizing the size and location of schools within an established network : a case study of north central Newfoundland

Naphtali, David Charles Walter (1975) An operational methodology for optimizing the size and location of schools within an established network : a case study of north central Newfoundland. Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

[English] PDF (Migrated (PDF/A Conversion) from original format: (application/pdf)) - Accepted Version Available under License - The author retains copyright ownership and moral rights in this thesis. Neither the thesis nor substantial extracts from it may be printed or otherwise reproduced without the author's permission. Download (39MB) [English] PDF - Accepted Version Available under License - The author retains copyright ownership and moral rights in this thesis. Neither the thesis nor substantial extracts from it may be printed or otherwise reproduced without the author's permission. (Original Version)

Abstract

The thesis examines a location-allocation problem in the public sector. The problem is to simultaneously locate school facilities on a network and determine the assignment of students to these facilities so that the total costs of operating a socially acceptable system are minimized. The theory is that cost and quality vary with the size and location of facilities within the system. Given the principles outlined in theory, the objective of location-allocation analysis is to aid the decision maker in defining an optimum solution to the problem. -- The methodology for locating schools and allocating students evolved from the linear programming solutions to the P-Median and Mini-max problems. The objectives of the design are extended to also consider modifications to existing school systems, the minimization of facility and transportation costs over time and the impact of changes in the configuration of various sized facilities on the quality of the educational system. This leads to the incorporation of an investment constraint, the consideration of the location and value of existing facilities, a procedure to minimize system costs under the design constraints and the derivation of a facility production function.

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