Add as a preferred source on Google

How Can We Do More With Less?

  • By Amy Kiefer
  • 08/01/11
Lets face it. The current economic climate is challenging on multiple levels. Educational budgets are tighter than ever, oftentimes frozen or no longer even existent within K-12. But with every challenge lies an opportunity. Here are areas for consideration in creating "more with less."

FOCUS -- List and prioritize furnishing needs both for today and into the future. What is the five-year plan? Ten-year plan? How do the plans for furnishings tie to the overall goals and vision for the institution? Rationalize and validate the plan and related prioritization with your stakeholders (stakeholders should include, but not be limited to your faculty, administration, students, parent liaisons and district partners). Input that drives dialogue will allow you more effective, validated decisions for both the short- and long-term.

CALCULATE THE ROI -- Calculate the return on investment (ROI) for those purchases selected (your areas of focus from step 1). Consider both the tangible and intangible value that purchase will drive. Be creative and forward thinking. Include items such as inventory management (flexibility in use), SKU reduction (district standardization), ease of use and repair (JIT maintenance or adjustment), student learning (validation of the institutions' success measures). Although the short-term needs may feel urgent, you're best served to keep focus on the long-term goals and needs of the learning spaces.

CIRCLE BACK -- Ensure the original plan is still warranted, validated by the ROI given the institution's goals and vision. If everything checks out, deploy.

Make no mistake. The goal of achieving more with less is certainly challenging. Especially if less equates to a null budget. But don't throw in the towel. There are too many precious students out there who need improved and optimized learning spaces. Even small, focused gains are better than no change and stagnation.

After all, these are future leaders!

Amy Kiefer is vice president of the Education Market division of KI.

Featured

  • California High School Starts Construction on STEAM, Music Buildings

    Tamalpais High School, part of the Tamalpais Union High School District, recently broke ground on two new major facilities for its campus in Mill Valley, Calif., according to a news release. The district is partnering with Quattrocchi Kwok Architects (QKA) and Lathrop Construction Associates for the Science Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics (STEAM) and Music Buildings, both replacing their outdated counterparts.

  • How One School Reimagined Learning Spaces—and What Others Can Learn

    When Collegedale Academy, a PreK–8 school outside Chattanooga, Tenn., needed a new elementary building, we faced the choice that many school leaders eventually confront: repair an aging facility or reimagine what learning spaces could be. Our historic elementary school held decades of memories for families, including some who had once walked its halls as children themselves. But years of wear and the need for costly repairs made it clear that investing in the old building would only patch the problems rather than solve them.

  • Texas K–12 District to Build New Elementary, High Schools

    The High Island Independent School District on the Bolivar Peninsula in Southeast Texas recently announced that construction on a new elementary school and a new high school will begin in January 2026, according to local news. Funding will come from a $27.9-million bond passed in May 2025.

  • New eBook Shares Guidelines on Building CTE Centers

    Career and Technical Education (CTE) curriculum and resources provider iCEV recently announced the publication of a new eBook sharing guidance and insights on building new CTE facilities, according to a news release.

Digital Edition