Protecting our buildings, building our future

While teachers and students are in class, behind the scenes, dedicated teams quietly lay the groundwork that keeps our learning spaces safe, warm, and ready for teaching and learning every single day. This past summer was no exception for our maintenance and facilities crews. While classrooms were empty, staff completed nearly a thousand work orders, deep cleaned 2.2 million square feet of school buildings, and maintained 23.8 million square feet of property districtwide. "Summer maintenance activity is one of our busiest periods, and this year was no exception," Facilities Director Mike Rushton said. "In addition to completing 921 work orders, our team supported facility moves, capital projects, asset management, and key regulatory requirements." That work ranged from roofing and flooring updates to pavement repairs, installing two new portables at Expedition Elementary, and renovating the Summit Cafe at the Pierce County Skills Center. Capital dollars set aside from our General Fund make these annual replacement projects possible, ensuring money is spent intentionally. "It's really important for us to maintain these capital projects to keep our schools going strong, to maintain them, to take care of them, to keep those spaces safe for our students," Director of Construction and Planning Sara Coccia said. Looking ahead, our district is taking a proactive approach to long-range facility planning. Rather than reacting to overcrowding or emergency repairs, leaders are planning ahead to ensure facilities match student needs well into the future. "We're flipping the script a little bit," Executive Director of Operations Paul Marquardt said. "It's not, 'Hey, we're growing, we're past capacity, our buildings are in dire straits.' We're thinking ahead, we're planning ahead, we're being responsible with our taxpayers' money, and we're planning out the future making sure that our buildings stay in good condition and are meeting the needs of our students." "Our buildings, even the ones that are aged, are really well taken care of," Superintendent Brian Lowney added. Beyond daily upkeep, our financial funding structures are also shifting. Following state legislation passed in 2023, Pierce County impact fees charged on new developments are transitioning from a general residential model to a bedroom count-based fee structure. While these fees still do not cover the full cost of growth, the update will allow our district to capture some additional funding starting in February 2027. Maintaining safe, functional schools requires continuous monitoring and deep personal commitment. "In my 22 years here in the district, I would have to say that we have the finest crews that we've ever had," Rushton said. "Every one of them is dedicated, every one of them believes in what they're doing and is willing to make as good an impact as they possibly can."