Case Studies K-12 Education

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 […]

When John Crompton led a lunch and learn session with students at The Winsor  School, he wasn’t sure if they’d be interested. He knew the science behind concrete would probably bore a group of students and expected to look into the audience and see yawns and glazed-over eyes. Instead, he saw a sea of raised […]

Justin Moss didn’t go to law school to become a lawyer, but he still uses his degree every day, most recently in his role at Fairfax County Public Schools, where he managed many difficult contractors. Moss knows his degree is unusual for a director of facilities management, but he says it’s made him better at […]

No one, especially since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, wants to breathe other people’s air. This can be hard to prevent in schools, though, where getting fresh air is usually only possible during gym class or recess. Jack Rallo is changing this by bringing the outside air in. As the director of facilities for […]

When Jim Sheeley was a student at Pulaski Central School District, he never thought about how the buildings were repaired and maintained. Now it’s all he thinks about. As the director of facilities at his alma mater, Sheeley knows the schools more intimately than some. After all, he spent 13 years walking their halls and […]

Feminine, but with a fierce side. This is how Jessie Patrick describes herself. A diminutive and lithe ballerina by avocation and a school district’s construction director by vocation, her high heels just might be heard clicking on a concrete foundation. Or even on a roof. “I’ve heard I’m a lot more involved in being on-site […]

Faulty heating and cooling systems making students shiver or swelter—not to mention dimly-lit classrooms—are not only uncomfortable, but also may result in lower scores on standardized tests, says Dr. John Bailey of the National School Plant Management Association. He should know. Bailey studied classroom environments as part of his doctoral dissertation and found mean scaled […]

On one hand, 2020 was about keeping up with day-to-day developments; on the other, planning for an uncertain future. Director of Facilities Josh Schaffer and his crew at the City of St. Charles School District in Missouri started planning for the worst—then hustled to make the best out of a tough situation. “About the time […]

He didn’t have to go to college or vocational school. Instead, John Scalisi has harnessed the many opportunities to grow on the job since he was 18. The early stint with Nassau County Parks and Recreation’s electronic department taught him many of the basics that decades later he’d apply in his present capacity as director […]