School facilities management involves the administration and maintenance of all school-owned buildings and property. Effective programs and systems provide the means to coordinate and manage all district activities to help teachers teach and students learn.

Advantages of formal facilities management for schools

1. Help children learn while assisting teachers

Studies show that the learning environment has a major impact on kids’ motivation to participate in school and their capacity to grow academically. A well-maintained school building fosters student interest in learning, resulting in enhanced classroom material retention.

Teachers also benefit from improved school facilities management. Research has found that a well-maintained teaching environment can minimize teacher turnover by up to 25 percent.

2. Control facilities management costs

A good facilities management program will reap a significant return on investment. The more upfront time and expense you put in upfront to enhance your systems, the greater—and sooner!—your cost savings and increased productivity will be. School facilities management decreases labor, energy, and equipment expenses for districts.

3. Extend the useful life of structures and assets

Proper care and maintenance of valuable property, equipment, and other assets can dramatically increase their quality and longevity. Preventative maintenance scheduling helps ensure that staff effectively maintains your district’s assets.

4. Improve facility managers’ organization and stress levels

Effective school facilities management systems eliminate uncertainty and turmoil from district administration. By implementing techniques for facilities management to streamline and simplify operations such as repair requests, equipment rentals, and preventative maintenance scheduling, you can ease the burden on your team.

What can you get from a school facilities management system?

Good facilities management systems can have a powerful impact on maintaining a district’s physical buildings, grounds, and equipment. Routine and preventative maintenance schedules ensure that buildings and premises are clean and functional and reduce backlog.

• Streamlined facility maintenance and work order requests: Work order procedures can be a major source of stress or an efficient system for managing issues across even the largest districts. In addition to minimizing backlog, a good work order management system can enhance communication and improve the experience for everyone. Learn more about available resources at https://www.facilitron.com/facility-owners/work-order-management/.
• Energy and gas usage: Energy and gas bills may appear to be fixed costs that your facility must simply accept and pay. With facilities management, however, measures for conserving gas and energy may be applied to reduce expenses and support sustainability initiatives.
• Compliance with health and safety regulations: A key element of an effective management plan is ensuring compliant health and safety measures and a sound emergency plan. During inspections, it’s critical to refer to past maintenance, procedures, and incidents.
• Facility rentals: Never double-book a room again! Robust facilities management systems include oversight features that help you keep track of every request and fulfillment for classroom, gymnasium, ballfield, or equipment reservation.
• Transportation management: Streamline planning for field excursions, staff outings, and other events. Effective transportation management ensures that requests flow through the appropriate approval chain and that vital documents, such as itineraries and insurance information, are organized.
• Parts inventory: When effective mechanisms for inventory management are in place, the task is less intimidating. Facilities management can efficiently catalog stock and set procedures in place to prompt reorders when inventory levels fall.

Improving your school’s facilities management systems does not have to be an all-or-nothing system overhaul. Even modest adjustments can yield huge improvements at minimal expense. Taking measures to manage your district’s school facilities now can make a lasting impact to improve teacher performance and help children learn.