7 Lessons Every K-12 Facilities Leader Should Know

After 26 years as an architect, Burke Jones transitioned into facilities leadership at Derby Public Schools, where he oversees 18 buildings serving thousands of students and staff. His architectural background helps him balance long-term planning with the day-to-day realities of operating aging school facilities.

Burke believes that facilities leaders are often caught off guard by issues associated with aging infrastructure, limited budgets, rising energy costs, workforce shortages, and the loss of institutional knowledge as experienced technicians retire. His approach is to use data to prioritize investments, plan ahead, and preserve critical building knowledge so future teams can make informed decisions.

For school districts, having instant access to drawings, equipment records, O&M manuals, and maintenance history through ARC Facilities makes those decisions faster and more informed.

ARC Facilities Checklist for K-12 Facility Leaders

Infrastructure & Capital Planning

• Build a long-term equipment replacement plan.
• Prioritize assets based on operational risk and repair history.
• Use ARC Facilities to quickly access equipment records, drawings, and O&M manuals when planning replacements.

Deferred Maintenance

• Track recurring repairs to support replacement decisions.
• Balance repair costs against long-term reliability.
• Keep maintenance history and project documentation organized in ARC Facilities.

Energy Management

• Review HVAC schedules and operating sequences regularly.
• Compare equipment age with energy costs.
• Store commissioning reports and control documentation in ARC Facilities.

Knowledge Preservation

• Capture the knowledge of experienced technicians before retirement.
• Document repairs, shutoff locations, and hidden building conditions.
• Store drawings, equipment information, and maintenance records in one searchable platform with ARC Facilities.

Workforce Development

• Introduce students to careers in the skilled trades.
• Partner with local contractors and technical schools.
• Give new technicians immediate access to building information so they become productive faster.

Leadership & Communication

• Use work order data to identify recurring problems.
• Connect facility investments to student comfort, safety, and learning.
• Support budget requests with documentation and real-world examples.
• Use ARC Facilities to quickly retrieve building information during planning and board presentations.

Emergency Readiness

• Ensure critical drawings and shutoff information are available from any mobile device.
• Keep emergency documentation current and accessible.
• Reduce response time by eliminating paper files and disconnected records.

Key Takeaways

• Aging infrastructure requires long-term planning—not just reactive repairs.
• Deferred maintenance becomes more expensive over time.
• Data and documentation strengthen funding requests.
• Institutional knowledge should never leave with retiring employees.
• The right building information helps every technician make better decisions.
• Well-maintained schools create better environments for teaching and learning.