The Vital Role of Facilities Managers in K-12 School Operations

7/18/2023

Working in K-12 schools used to be highly desirable. Summers off, snack time and themed days can sound appealing to even the biggest cynics. But when the school year ends and the buildings empty out, one group of people continue working to ensure that the facility remains operating – facilities managers, supervisors and front-line technicians.  

What used to be coveted jobs have become much more challenging for K-12 maintenance and engineering managers. From ongoing labor shortages and security measures to ongoing worries about indoor air quality (IAQ), managers are having to respond to a multitude of challenges related to keeping school buildings safe, reliable and efficient. 

Time and money 

Among the toughest challenges facing managers is finding the time and funding to perform needed tasks. The flow of the academic school year affects the ability of managers and their staffs to respond to emergencies and ensure a clean and safe learning environment for students. But while students and teachers can use the summer to rest and recharge for the upcoming school year, managers in K-12 school districts need to use that time to get projects done. 

“When students aren’t in the building, we try to do some of our extra projects,” says Dave Petit, director of facilities of the Joplin School District in Missouri. “It gives us a chance to stay busy but a chance to do something a little more in depth or a little deeper cleaning than we normally have the opportunity to do. I send out a newsletter to all my staff once a month, and I always try to list out what days we've (the school) got off. Is it just teachers in the building? Is it a day without staff and students? So we make sure and keep that at our forefront so that we can plan during the school year because all of those opportunity days that we have.” 

While trying to complete larger projects, managers still are quick to respond to work orders that impact students. Work requests have to be prioritized based on costs or whether or not they interfere with learning. 

“We look at the work order history of the school or the item requested,” says Gabriella Duran Blakey, chief operations officer of Albuquerque Public Schools. “We also review the risk assessment of the item to decide if we need to replace or repair an item. What is the cost of the item not being repaired? The classroom is the priority so anything that is impeding on the ability of our children to learn are set as priorities. In our schools, we also look at the type of classroom paying specific attention to the needs of our medically fragile students.” 

Managers also need to ensure they have a plan for the unexpected, but emergencies can affect the ability of departments to complete scheduled work. 

To help handle the shifting workload, some districts have started second shifts to get more projects done during the school year. Keith Watkins, director of facilities for the City School District of New Rochelle, New York, says his staff typically has a plumber, electrician and carpenter that work day shifts to respond to requests or emergencies. 

“The rest of the guys are knocking out huge projects at night that we can’t do during the day because we’re student occupied,” Watkins says. “It doesn’t always make sense to have most of the maintenance staff working days when they’re limited to what they can get done. You’re not going to just stand in front of a wall that you just painted until it dries so no one messes with it. Why not have a second shift?” 

Security measures 

School safety and security weigh heavily on managers who play a central role in the state of their facilities. The mass shooting that took place at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, was partially blamed on a propped open back door. Many school districts are reevaluating their active shooter plans and reconfiguring access control systems to ensure that only people with approved access can enter the school.  

“Safety and security will always be the number one priority, and we look at that as an investment,” Petit says. “If it costs a little more money to do something that’s going to get us further down the road and protect our buildings or the things that we take care of longer term, sometimes it’s worth that little bit extra money to put that investment in to do it right the first time.” 

When helping plan safety and security drills, managers must consider the mental and emotional wellbeing of the students. It is uncomfortable and scary for students to practice in a situation where they could be in danger, but these drills can ensure that students and staff know how to keep themselves safe.   

“It is important we do not harden schools without addressing the social and emotional wellbeing of our students,” Blakey says. “Facilities works with our student and family support division to ensure we are supporting the work of addressing root causes and providing support to our students through counseling, restorative practices and creating systems of supports for their mental wellbeing.” 

The challenge for managers is to find access control systems and ensure that only approved people have access to certain areas and information.  

Training and planning a program to prevent active shooter events and other violent situations are constantly evolving. 

“We can all work collaboratively to work with experts and professionals that have come up with ways to create a safe environment to guarantee a safe environment,” Watkins says. “We’ve created barriers to slow down people that may have bad intentions, but it’s just continuous training.” 

Mackenna Moralez is the associate editor for the facilities market.