In our recent webinar, Building for Growth: When Your Facility Holds You Back, we brought together facilities experts and a charter school leader who successfully navigated a complex expansion project. Here are the key takeaways that can help your school plan for sustainable growth.
The Hidden Cost of Reactive Maintenance
Michael Soh, Construction and Development Project Manager at Grow Schools, highlighted a sobering statistic: emergency repairs can cost two to five times more than planned maintenance.
“The cost of immediate repairs can be two to five times higher than planned maintenance,” Michael explained. “If you have to get a rush in there, overtime, urgent services, expedited shipping for parts, and things like that.”
His recommendation? Develop a proactive maintenance plan that categorizes issues into three buckets:
- Critical: Major items needing immediate fixes (HVAC failures, fire alarm malfunctions)
- High Priority: Issues that should be addressed soon (roof leaks, kitchen equipment)
- Routine Fixes: Worn items that aren’t critical to daily operations
Aligning Facilities with Enrollment Growth
Tony Solorzano, of Grow Schools emphasized the interconnected nature of facilities, funding, and enrollment—what he calls “the virtuous cycle.”
His key financial guideline: Keep your facility budget between 10-20% of annual school revenue, with 15% being the sweet spot for most schools.
Before embarking on expansion, Tony recommends asking critical questions:
- Is your balance sheet healthy?
- What’s the cost of recruiting new students?
- Do you have a waiting list?
- How will additional students affect staffing needs?
“You need enrollment in order to increase your funding in order to get the facility that you’re hoping to bring,” Tony noted. “They’re dependent on each other, and they all kind of rotate with each other in order to build a healthy school.”
Real-World Lessons from Dr. Tandria Callins
Dr. Tandria Callins, Executive Director and Principal at Language and Literacy Academy for Learning in Winter Haven, Florida, shared her firsthand experience navigating a facility expansion while operating her school across two temporary locations.
Her biggest piece of advice? Talk to your neighbors early.
“I wish I would have done that a little bit earlier, really had an opportunity to have a conversation with some of my neighbors,” Dr. Callans reflected. “When it was first day of school and during my ribbon cutting, we did have some challenges and we had some issues, and they weren’t very welcoming.”
Other critical lessons from Dr. Callans:
- Maintain cash reserves beyond your initial budget—unexpected needs will arise
- Choose architects with education experience—she had to switch architects mid-project when design issues emerged
- Have a strong team—you can’t manage a facility project and run your school alone
On working with construction managers versus contractors, she noted: “Everything was more transparent. The change orders, instead of having multiple, because change orders can be expensive…there’s cost savings in going the construction manager route.”
The Bottom Line
Successful facility planning requires three essential elements:
- Proactive maintenance to avoid costly emergencies
- Strategic alignment between facilities, finances, and enrollment goals
- Expert partnerships to guide you through complex construction processes
As Dr. Callins put it: “Having a single point of contact definitely allowed me to continue to run the charter and take lead on the facility expansion…I would not have been able to do any of it if I didn’t have a team.”
Watch the Recording of the Live Event Here
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