Practical Facilities Tips, News & Advice.
As students and educators get back into the back-to-school groove, a main focus is on a safe and productive year. While there are many aspects to school safety, an often-overlooked component is facility maintenance. Hidden risks, from clogged air filters to expired fire extinguishers, can create serious hazards. SSC Services for Education, a provider of […]
Indiana officials have approved nearly $27.1 million in grants to support security initiatives at 494 schools across the state. The funding comes from the Secured School Safety Grant (SSSG) program. Established in 2013 and administered by the Indiana Department of Homeland Security, the program issues matching grants to public and private schools, charter schools, and school coalitions. […]
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently announced it has noticed that many facilities are unknowingly violating hazardous waste disposal regulations. The Agency is encouraging businesses, schools, and other small facilities to double-check how they handle hazardous waste to avoid costly violations. “A common issue is shipping regulated amounts of hazardous waste without first obtaining the required EPA […]
As the school year begins in many areas, new West Virginia University (WVU) research finds poor air quality may keep tens of thousands of students out of school for weeks each year, hitting young students and children of color the hardest. A study by Mustahsin Ul Aziz, a doctoral student in natural resource economics at the WVU Davis College of Agriculture […]
Editor’s note: FM Perspectives are industry op-eds. The views expressed are the authors’ and do not necessarily reflect those of Facilities Management Advisor. Recently, U.S. schools received a D+ grade on the 2025 American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Infrastructure Report Card. This was disappointing, but to anyone who keeps tabs on K-12 facilities management, it likely […]
Robotics in cleaning have moved from a futuristic idea into everyday operations across industries. From warehouses and schools to retail and healthcare facilities, autonomous cleaning is gaining traction fast with over half-a-million robotic cleaning systems projected to be in use by 2030. Amid this rapid adoption, facility teams are finding that making robotics work for […]
The Partner Alliance for Safer Schools (PASS) has released the seventh edition of its Safety and Security Guidelines for K-12 Schools, which offer comprehensive information on practices for securing school facilities from subject matter experts across the education, public safety, and industry sectors. The new release—including updates to the Safety and Security Guidelines and the School Safety and […]
Public-private partnerships (P3s) continue to evolve as an increasingly important component in the toolkit of public institutions facing complex infrastructure challenges. JLL’s latest research, “Redefining Public Delivery One P3 at a Time,” examines facility-related P3 projects completed since 2019, providing insights into geographic trends, facility types, capital market considerations, construction costs, and funding strategies. “Public institutions […]
Across the United States, aging schools are in dire need of repair, and for many, patchwork maintenance is the only way to keep facilities operational as administrators and facilities managers balance limited budgets with pressing needs. School budgets are complex, and disparities in funding have become a topic of dispute in the state courts. The […]
A new report highlights the concerns and challenges K-12 schools are facing in securing their entrances and keeping students and staff safe from potential threats. According to a survey released by Singlewire Software, only 17% of K-12 school staff members felt that their entrances were completely secure, and multiple challenges were cited for maintaining a […]