SchoolDude Shares Results of Inaugural Education Facilities Budget, Staffing and Operations Study

CARY, NC – SchoolDude, a leading provider of education operations management solutions, has announced the results of its inaugural Facilities Budget, Staffing and Operations Study of more than 400 K–12 and higher education facilities, maintenance and operations professionals.

For more than 60 percent of respondents, facility management budget and staffing levels have either increased or stayed the same over the last five years. Technology is a key driver in this change. From iPads to smart boards, 91 percent of higher education respondents and 78 percent of K–12 respondents said technology is likely to impact classroom redesigns over the next year, affecting both the facilities and technology departments.

“We embarked on this study to help empower our clients and their facilities decisions with advanced operational and industry insights,” says Lee Prevost, chief strategy officer, Dude Solutions. “With the average age of school buildings crossing the 40-year mark, facility maintenance and capital planning decisions become more critical. These educational operations benchmarks are helpful for informing facilities-based decisions and justifying resources, budget and staff.”

The study revealed that, on average, maintenance and operations budgets make up 10 percent of schools’ overall budgets and 38 percent of budgets have increased over the last five years for both higher education and K–12. Another finding showed the average age of education facilities employees is 45 years old with a median tenure of 10 years for higher education and 12.5 years for K–12.

Other topics addressed in the survey include staff size and make up (maintenance, grounds, custodial), in-house versus outsourced services, facilities budget breakdowns, facilities size, among others.

The full report is available at this link.

Study Methodology
The SchoolDude Facilities Budget, Staffing and Operations Study was conducted in Q1 2016 via an online survey and includes a representative sample of educational institutions with 400 responses. Institutions surveyed include public K–12 districts, charter schools, private and independent schools, community colleges, 4-year public universities, and 4-year private universities. Institutions ranged in student size and type, representing the broader market. Departments represented include maintenance and facilities, building and grounds, business operations, physical plant, finance, events/facility use and the superintendent’s office.

ABOUT SCHOOLDUDE
For the past 15 years, SchoolDude has served educational professionals, supporting the vitally important role they play in providing a safe, clean, healthy, and quality learning environment for students, staff and faculty. We deliver cloud applications to help both small and large institutions better manage their facilities, IT and business operations. More than one million education professionals from 7,000+ educational institutions are using SchoolDude products to streamline maintenance work order and IT help desk management, schedule preventive maintenance, plan for capital replacements, increase inventory accountability and maximize after-hours facility use and utility consumption. For more information, visit www.schooldude.com.

Featured

  • MiEN Releases White Paper on Community College Space Innovation

    MiEN Company recently released a new white paper called “Designing New Innovative Spaces for Community Colleges” to address the needs of community colleges post-pandemic, according to a news release. The eight-page guide by Dr. Christina Counts, MiEN Company VP of Education and Marketing, covers topics like the enrollment drop that these schools have seen since COVID-19, the roles they play in higher education and local workforces, and five suggested key changes that can improve students’ experiences.

  • New Jersey PreK–12 School Breaks Ground on New STEM Building

    Saddle River Day School (SRDS) in Saddle River, N.J., recently announced that it has broken ground on the new Dr. Kristen Walsh Hall of Science & Entrepreneurship, according to a news release. The school partnered with DIGroup Architecture for the design of the new facility, which will provide the school with space to expand its STEM and business education classes.

  • modern college building with circuit and brain motifs

    Anthropic Introduces Claude for Education

    Anthropic has launched a version of its Claude AI assistant tailored for higher education institutions. Claude for Education "gives academic institutions secure, reliable AI access for their entire community," the company said, to enable colleges and universities to develop and implement AI-enabled approaches across teaching, learning, and administration.

  • Image courtesy of Armstrong International

    The Modern Hot Water System Approach to Keep Higher Education Buildings Safe and Operational

    Higher education campuses face unique structural and operational demands. With a range of old and new buildings, a variety of facility types, and ambitious sustainability goals, it's essential that no aspect of infrastructural performance is overlooked. Facility managers must be equipped to provide a safe, reliable and efficient space for students, faculty and guests.

Digital Edition