Rising to the challenge of aging, underfunded schools

Fifty million students join dedicated teachers and staff in K-12 public schools across the U.S. each school day to engage with their learning environment and foster a brighter future. Yet, thousands of school districts are weighed down by aging and outdated facilities that undermine their education mission.

Students in well-maintained school buildings perform nearly 20% better than their counterparts in sub-standard schools, according to the State of Our Schools Report, published by the 21st Century School Fund, the International WELL Building Institute and the National Council on School Facilities. Research shows students focus better, retain more, and even test results improve. It also indicates temperature, lighting and cleanliness directly impact the health and wellbeing of students, staff and teachers.

Recently, the U.S. Government Accountability Office found that more than 40% of public school districts require HVAC system updates in at least half of their schools, and 20 to 35% of districts have roofing, lighting or safety and security systems issues. Whether your district includes elementary schools, middle schools, high schools, or a combination thereof, facilities management (FM) may seem more like a budgetary burden than an opportunity to shape the experience of students, teachers, parents or community members.

So, how do superintendents and facilities directors elevate the standards of their educational environments when bombarded with expensive emergency repairs and a backlog of deferred maintenance?

With a proactive approach to FM, you can minimize emergencies and focus your budget on regular maintenance and capital plans. Education leaders can make allocation decisions based on data reporting what the district needs to replace or update, and how money will best support students, teachers, staff and community members.

Get started with the right mix of process, people and technology so you can transform the long list of to-dos into a plan to create learning environments where your students and staff thrive.