Back to Basics: Prioritizing Facility Maintenance with Limited Funds

 

For business officials, budgeting for annual maintenance and capital projects included in the district’s annual spending plan is always a challenge. This article provides options for consideration with regard to facility maintenance and upkeep.

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Maria A. Parry, CPA, SFO

 Published June 2026

From the classic "one-room schoolhouse" to today’s campus structures, the importance of education facilities has never waned, nor has the maintenance of these facilities to keep the buildings safe for all who enter for years to come.

For business officials, budgeting for annual maintenance along with planned capital projects included in the district’s annual spending plan is always a challenge. This article provides options for consideration with regard to facility maintenance and upkeep.  


Whether you are a veteran business official or developing your first budget, you must make facilities maintenance and upkeep a priority. Funding is needed to not only keep the doors open but to (hopefully) be ahead of the curve and avoid events that can have a ripple effect on the consistency of education.

It All Begins with Personnel 

The size of the district may steer the organization of facilities personnel. For example, in New Jersey, the Taxpayer’s Guide to Education Spending suggests one custodian per 17,500 square feet. If the building has fewer custodians than the minimum recommended, the maintenance and upkeep of the facility may suffer.  

If your district outsources the custodial/maintenance services, consider an in-house facilities manager. This professional can supervise the personnel and will be able to contribute valuable input regarding what is needed for the district facilities.  

If the district is large, consider hiring personnel who hold specific trade certifications. If the district is small, consider a shared service with another district or use a time/materials cooperative purchasing agreement to promote cost containment.

Discussions about facility projects should include a review of options and recommendations to reduce the expenditure on such projects.

Facility Plans Are Important  

Every district should have an up-to-date facility plan prepared by a professional (architect/engineer/construction management, etc.). Consider including the following information:  

  • Building History 

  • Existing Structural Information  

    • Windows

    • Roofing Systems

    • Exterior Doors

    • Electrical System/Service

    • Gas Service

    • Boilers

    • Hot Water System

    • HVAC

    • Security Systems

    • Phone/Paging / Intercom System

    • Fire Alarm System

    • Sitework

    • Additional information

  • Facility Map

  • Building(s) Map

  • Fire Alarm /Security System Map

  • Observed and Recommended Projects (with/without estimated costs)

The plan should be reviewed and updated every five years. This plan is the basis for the future capital or maintenance work that will be incorporated as part of the budget process. Priority of projects can be requested either through documentation in the report or through a follow-up meeting with a facility committee/board.

Examples of plans can be found here and here.


Financial Aspects

Discussions about facility projects should include a review of options and recommendations to reduce the expenditure on such projects. Examples of financing options can include, but are not limited to (depending upon the specific administrative code of the state that the district resides in) the following:

  • Energy Savings Incentive Program (ESIP).
  • Referendum(a).
  • Refunding of existing debt for savings in interest.
  • Capital lease/pooled lease. 

These discussions will give the district time to both consider what plan works best and how to implement such a plan. Additionally, discussions could include the possibility of selling unused buildings/assets and earmarking those funds for a reserve account to offset planned or unplanned capital/maintenance expenditures.  

 

Prioritizing and Budgeting with Limited Funds  

Establishing a long-range or similar facility plan benefits the district, as it lessens the possibility of a project being omitted from a future budget and it gives the board/administration time to prepare for the future. However, sometimes the best thought-out plans regarding facilities cannot move forward when revenues fall short of expenditures in budget planning.  

The main objective of having the multiyear plan and understanding the routine facility expenditures for education buildings is to keep the district facility operations from deteriorating or falling into disrepair. When the latter occurs, the cost of bringing the building back to where it should be is more often higher than it would have been if the district continued with routine/regular maintenance and upkeep on the building(s).  

School business officials should use the data on hand to the district's advantage:  

  1. Personnel: Confirm the district has the optimum number of custodial/maintenance/grounds personnel on hand. If personnel are in-district, review work schedules for possible adjustments in shift schedules to reduce overtime and/or times when positions are over-staffed. Review contracts and work with union leaders to create solutions that will maintain staff without major personnel reductions or necessitate contracting out for services.  

  1. Supplies: Take inventory of all custodial/maintenance supplies in each building and identify overages and lack of supplies. Analyze the supply expenditure accounts and identify in detail what is charged to this account. The upcoming budget year’s limited funding may be the perfect opportunity to review and reorganize the current inventory and future ordering procedures.  

  1. Projects: If routine maintenance costs have not been analyzed, go beyond the total costs and identify in detail what ongoing costs are expended during a school year. Similar to supplies, after identifying such costs and sorting them into different areas (pest control/fire inspection/paint/floor cleaning supplies, as examples), determine if there are opportunities for reductions or alternatives, such as a shared service or co-op.  

  1. Capital Projects: Utilizing the facility plan, look at what projects are top priority and consider the alternative funding sources – reserve accounts, for example. Additionally, consider the option of budgeting for a lease rather than a direct purchase and researching grants for facilities projects through federal or state programs.  

Speak with the district professionals (architect, attorney, financial advisor, auditor) regarding any options for the district to keep the work within the budget rather than have it considered for the future, which could be at a higher cost.  

  1. Savings in Other Budget Areas: Continue to deep dive into current budget expenditures to see if there are expenses that were included in the current budget but are not needed for the upcoming budget. Look at revenues and consider options such as facility rentals, transportation jointures, and end rental office space and relocating back to district buildings.  

Work with technology supervisors to see if there are opportunities for savings due to switching to cloud storage from purchasing servers or discontinuing underutilized educational software programs. Confirm the district is maximizing its participation in federal programs such as E-Rate and co-ops.  

  1. Reach Out: Reach out to your colleagues and your county/state leaders to see how they are handling balancing their budgets. Working together may provide additional opportunities for budget reductions without loss of services/projects.  

  1. Reality Check: The bottom line may still call for reductions of some facility projects/annual maintenance. Consideration of safety, security, and options for future budgets are all part of the checklist when determining what is needed, wanted, or can be put aside for facility maintenance.  

Some projects can have resolutions in a short period of time, and there are projects that may take longer hours, but ultimately can produce an abundance of data that will allow for focused budgets. 

Taking the time to review budget lines, along with investing in a strong facilities plan, can result in a positive ripple effect for the future. When the district facilities are well maintained, student achievement becomes an attainable goal.

About the Author:

Maria A. Parry, CPA, SFO

Maria Parry is a retired school business administrator for Monmouth Regional High School in Tinton Falls, New Jersey. She is also a member of the ASBO International Editorial Advisory Committee.   

Email: riaparry@verizon.net

  

   

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