K-12 facilities managers are emphasizing efficiency and cost savings as they stare down the twin challenges of aging infrastructure and budget constraints, according to a new survey by Incident IQ, a workflow management solution provider.

With the average age of U.S. school buildings at just under 50 years old, facilities managers are used to juggling maintenance and repairs as stop-gap measures for needed replacements that may not fit neatly into annual budgets. The survey indicates that facilities teams are focused on decreasing maintenance costs (32.6%), improving efficiency (28.2%), and revamping learning environments (23.9%) as their top facilities goals for the 2024-2025 school year.

“K-12 facilities managers have the tremendous responsibility of keeping aging buildings in good working order so students and teachers can stay focused,” said R.T. Collins, CEO of Incident IQ. “It’s a balancing act, but many teams are gaining efficiency, cost savings, and better insights through improved operations technology. We expect to see even greater adoption of these solutions to meet the demands of the coming academic year as schools continue to face mounting budget pressures and increased service expectations.”

While 45% of respondents think their current systems and processes are somewhat effective at capturing the scale of their work, many teams are looking to make tech purchases to create greater insight. Among the top technology considerations for teams looking to improve communications and streamline workflows are:

• Computer maintenance management software (CMMS) – 39.1%
• Mobile applications for staff – 21.7%
• Digital maintenance tracking – 17.3%
• Automated scheduling systems – 8.7%

Key topics explored in the report include technology adoption and barriers, how teams manage and respond to facilities requests, and how they collect and use data to make informed decisions. The full report is available for download here.

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