Case Studies K-12 Education

Each Friday night during football season in Texas, high school athletes take to the field before thousands of spectators, often in stadiums that cost tens of millions of dollars. It’s a tradition that began before football helmets had face bars—and  for the Clint Independent School District high schools around El Paso, it just got a […]

For more than 20 years, it’s been Frank Geyer’s mission to limit distractions for students by making sure their learning environments are in good operational order. Most of the time, that’s involved making repairs, like turning up the heat, tending to roof leaks or fixing rips in the carpets. But with his retirement pending, Geyer […]

How many facilities directors are greeted by students with a hug and kind words? Jerry Wood can’t say but he knows he’s one of the lucky few. Of course, Wood, who directs facilities for the Vail Unified School District in Tucson, Arizona, also taught these students and served as their principal. In December 2017, Wood, […]

When Jim Rubach retired 11 years ago, he envisioned days spent fishing, golfing and renovating old cars and tractors. But, only a few months later, he was called back to Dickinson Independent School District, where he’s now worked for 43 years. The Texas-based district needed his help connecting with vendors he knew best. “It’s a […]

A few years ago, if a light went out or a sink was leaking at Clark County School District, it could take days, or even weeks, before someone could get there to fix it. Now, facilities issues like this are resolved within hours. That’s because, in 2019, the Nevada district started a pilot building engineer […]

In Southern California, some public schools are overcrowded, leading to a lack of individualized attention for students with the most need. These students often struggle to keep up their grades and confidence. “In many Southern California communities, students don’t have access to high quality public schools, so to be able to offer them a charter […]

When Pete Muscio started at Rochester Community Schools in late 2015, he was surprised by how different schools looked. Not just floors and paint, but furniture and fixtures in each of the buildings varied greatly, with little consistency or standardization. Muscio, the director of capital projects and facilities, knew that making these features uniform would […]

Overseeing grounds and maintenance at a small Texas school district had its moments for Michael Rasmussen. There was always something to keep him humble and committed. “Places like that, you’ve got to learn a lot about everything,” he tells Blueprint in early January. “How to run a wastewater plant, how to drive a school bus, […]

It’s a typical morning in town. Offices, banks and stores bustle as people go to work and run errands. Whether it’s buying flooring, applying for a loan, or shipping a package, it’s all getting done inside a Junior Achievement Discovery Center—and the workers and shoppers are all middle schoolers. Designed to immersive them in the […]

The goal of Vertex Education is to “change lives through education ”—and Director of Facilities and Construction Craig Dunlop is working hard to ensure the organization’s schools and its students are equipped for that vision. To that end, Dunlop is building and maintaining facilities as part of a two-pronged endeavor. It involves improving cleanliness and […]