News & Insights

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP: SCHOOL BONDS

Transforming school bonds into student success

A proven strategy to prioritize funds, minimize waste and maximize impact

School districts are facing an undeniable reality: escalating construction costs, shifting educational priorities, and increasing pressure to deliver results with limited resources. When voters approve a bond, they entrust district leaders with the responsibility of making every dollar count. But without a clear and methodical approach, costs can spiral, timelines can stretch, and the intended benefits for students, teachers, and staff can fall short.

But with careful planning and disciplined execution, districts can ensure that bond funds deliver maximum impact where it matters most—enhancing student learning environments. Here’s how.

Step 1: Align facilities with educational priorities

A school’s physical environment must support its educational mission. Before spending a single bond dollar, districts need a clear, up-to-date educational plan that defines what will be taught and how it will be delivered.

Are you moving toward team-based learning? Do your facilities support project-based instruction? Will you introduce outdoor classrooms or flexible learning spaces? Defining these priorities first ensures that facility investments directly enhance student success, rather than just maintaining the status quo.

Step 2: Assess and prioritize facility needs

Once educational goals are clear, districts must evaluate their current facilities to determine what must be done versus what they want to do. A thorough facilities condition assessment helps categorize projects into:

• Must-do’s – Code-driven requirements and essential repairs that must be completed for safety and compliance.
• Want-to-do’s – Enhancements that support new educational programs, improve learning environments, and increase operational efficiency.

By balancing these priorities, districts can create a strategic roadmap that ensures critical needs are met while still allowing room for innovation.

Step 3: Engage the community early and often

One of the most common pitfalls in bond implementation is a lack of community engagement. Schools exist within communities, and every capital project impacts local stakeholders. Without clear communication and early buy-in, even the best-planned projects can face delays, opposition, or misalignment with public expectations.

By actively engaging parents, teachers, and community members throughout the process, districts can build trust, gain support, and ensure alignment with broader community goals. Priorities may not allow for every development, maintenance or repair needed, so clearly communicating the program’s goals and priorities from the outset will be critical to securing public support.

Step 4: Execute with discipline

With a strategic plan in place, the focus must shift to execution. A well-structured implementation plan should include:

• A realistic timeline that accounts for potential delays and escalation in construction costs.
• A disciplined budget that minimizes waste and focuses spending on projects that directly impact student learning.
• A clear risk mitigation strategy to anticipate and address challenges before they escalate.

By maintaining a sharp focus on execution, districts can maximize the impact of bond dollars while minimizing costly overruns.

Conclusion: making every dollar count

Voter-approved bond programs represent an incredible opportunity to invest in the future of education. But opportunity alone is not enough—districts must act with urgency, discipline, and foresight to ensure success.

At Brailsford & Dunlavey, we have spent more than 30 years helping school districts prioritize their bond funding and execute capital programs that make a lasting impact. If your district is preparing for or managing a bond program, we’re here to help you develop a strategic, efficient, and community-driven approach that delivers real results.

As the leader of B&D’s PK14 practice group  in the west coast, Mark Newton brings 30 years of industry experience, with the last 14 years dedicated to PK-14 projects across California. Throughout his career, he has managed a diverse array of projects in education, public agencies, detention facilities, high-tech industries, fabrication, clean rooms, recreation and leisure, and municipal facilities. He has developed and overseen program-wide systems such as Project Management Information Systems (PMIS), master schedules, master budgets, project cost controls and forecasting, and program implementation plans, all of which have been reviewed, presented, and approved by local governing boards. Before joining B&D, he served as Kitchell CEM’s Market Sector Executive, where he coordinated all PK–12 projects and managed major bond programs. Mark can be reached at mnewton@bdconnect.com.