Page 29 - School Planning & Management, July/August 2019

But though preventive maintenance is critical to perform regularly, it can be a daunting task to begin. Those who have paved the way recommend beginning with work order management, followed by a preventive maintenance schedule. A work order management system, best operated through a CMMS (computer- ized maintenance management system), allows you to schedule maintenance, track inventory, monitor energy consumptions and plan for future capital needs. With a proper preventive mainte- nance protocol in place, you’re able to cut unnecessary spending, decrease emergency work safety risks and provide a healthier environment for students.
Once you have a plan, finding the budget to enact it can
be equally overwhelming for many schools. An increase
or redistribution of funds is rarely done without thorough justification, and justification can’t happen without tracking what’s going on inside your facility as is stands. With a CMMS, you can track key performance indicators that illustrate exactly what funding is needed.
Getting away from deferred maintenance and improving the condition of your facilities is not easy, nor is it quick. It’s a step-by- step process that involves growing pains, collaboration and a lot of going back to the drawing board. Once on its way, however, it has
the power to transform your school and your students from the inside out. That’s why you do it and why you can get through the process of figuring out how.
If the mission of a school is to facilitate the learning that enables students to show up fully for the future in front of them, then we have to provide the environment in which that learning can happen. Our schools house a variety of students, all with different needs, and it’s our responsibility to deliver the shelter that allows them to move up that hierarchy. Nothing changes if nothing changes, so the first step in improving your facilities is deciding what change to start with, be it purchasing a CMMS, developing a committee or doing a budget analysis. The key is to start somewhere. Just start, and remember you don’t have to do it alone. Even if you only take one step toward ending your deferred maintenance backlog this year, you’ll be a step further than you were before. SPM
As Director of Client Services for the education market at Dude Solutions, Jed DeGroote is responsible for helping facilities professionals make a positive impact on the learning environment for students around the world. Jed passionately lives by Dude Solutions’ mission: to empower clients to do the best work of their lives. Better work, better lives.
Learn. Play. Explore. Imagine.
We’re the complete solution for every learning environment.
www.jonti-craft.com | 507.342.5169
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