A recent study from IncidentIQ found that education facilities managers in K-12 schools continue to struggle with budget constraints and aging infrastructure that are in desperate need for major repairs and renovations.
According to the 2021 State of Schools report, there is a $85 billion funding gap needed to properly maintain school buildings. Despite this figure, many schools have little to no comprehensive, long-term plans for renovation projects or the necessary budget to invest in these efforts. The longer schools go without addressing the problem areas, the more challenging the aging infrastructure will be to maintain, potentially posing a risk to students and staff alike.
Similar to other years, staffing shortages continue to be a challenge for the K-12 facilities management sector. More technicians are retiring and taking that industry knowledge with them, with no one there to replace it. According to the report, a shortage of facility managers can hamper a school’s ability to provide a safe and productive learning environment.
However, the survey found that FMs still remain optimistic about goals for the upcoming school year. Respondents said that they are aiming to improve efficiency and decrease maintenance costs while inflation remains at an all-time high. Still, managers expect budgets to stay the same or increase slightly. According to the survey, respondents said that their budgets are not expected to decrease drastically.
Managers are currently looking for ways to “get more done” with less funding. Realistically aiming to do the same amount of work that they always have with lower costs. However, this isn’t always the case, forcing managers to prioritize projects and causing deferred maintenance. The survey found that managers are concerned with the growing amount of maintenance requests at the facility while working under a constrained budget.
Mackenna Moralez is the associate editor for the facilities market.
