The care and condition of school buildings–and the environments within them–affect nearly every stakeholder and every goal in a school or district. In other words, school facilities are the foundation for achievement, success, and overall health and wellbeing of students and staff. Families and communities understand the critical role school facilities play in the day-to-day lives of students and, therefore, place a tremendous value on their quality, safety, and upkeep. 
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Although there is this collective expectation that classrooms, facilities, and campuses will be clean, well-maintained, and regularly updated, the time- and resource-intensive work required to meet this expectation is often overlooked. District leaders know that achieving these goals requires extensive strategic planning, significant funding, dedicated staff labor, and careful coordination—especially during the summer months when major cleaning, repairs, and updates take place. 
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Because of that, those overseeing facilities and operations teams are typically acutely focused on ensuring that these projects are completed on time, done to a high quality, and stay within budget. It is also important, however, that they make a deliberate effort to ensure this critical work is visible, valued, and recognized for being fundamentally tied to the district’s core goals and mission. To accomplish this, district leaders should celebrate and showcase the work that happens over the summer–both internally and within the broader community. Doing so fosters transparency and accountability around the use of district resources, while also building trust and demonstrating that the district is fully committed to prioritizing the safety, health, and success of its students and staff. 

Fostering Community Trust by Highlighting Maintenance Readiness 

As school districts across the country grapple with declining enrollments and diminishing budgets, highlighting the intensive work that happens during the summer can be a powerful way to build enthusiasm for and trust in district schools. Showcasing these efforts communicates to families that the school district puts time, effort, and resources into creating inviting environments for students. Additionally, publicizing larger scale projects or major capital improvements can generate excitement for specific campuses and the community as a whole. Explicitly connecting these improvements to additional opportunities for academic learning, safety, or extracurricular activities helps to convey that the district is investing in future growth and continued improvement. And even sharing details about the routine maintenance efforts–including deep cleaning, painting, and landscaping–nurtures and reinforces the idea that district schools are safe and healthy environments for students to spend their days learning and growing. 
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Summer maintenance and cleaning projects often require large financial investments. Providing the public with clear, tangible examples of how those funds are being used to enhance schools, support students and staff, and benefit the broader community can deepen understanding and strengthen support for the use of taxpayer dollars for such projects. Sharing stories about the implementation of more efficient practices,  cost-saving innovations, or environmentally sustainable approaches demonstrates the district’s commitment to fiscal responsibility and long-term success. 
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And, this cleaning and maintenance work can and should be integrated into overall district messaging about fall readiness–including hiring and onboarding staff, providing quality professional learning for educators, completing teacher assignments, finalizing master schedules, and having reliable bus transportation for students. Preparing school buildings is a component of the district showing preparation and care for students and staff so that when they enter the school doors in the fall, the facility is ready to support their learning and growth in a safe, fully functional, and clean environment. 

‍Tips to Showcase Summer Work and Celebrate Fall Readiness

District leaders can work to identify productive ways to communicate important and exciting updates related to summer facilities work. Finding ways to creatively frame stories and using a variety of communication channels can ensure messages reach all stakeholders–including students and families, educators, community members, and all of those connected to the district–and effectively make the case that summer facilities cleaning and maintenance work is vital to student learning and wellbeing and district success. 
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• Consider a Variety of Communication Channels: Highlighting building improvements, deep cleaning efforts, or even just the familiar faces of school custodians hard at work on social media can help students, families, and community members stay informed and feel connected to the district’s cleaning and maintenance efforts. For more substantial projects, districts might invite local news channels to cover large-scale school improvements or back-to-school spotlights of how schools are ready to welcome back students. 
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• Find Ways to Show Progress and Impact: Capture "before and after" moments to visually demonstrate improvements, and once school resumes, highlight how students and staff are actively utilizing the updated spaces. Share stories that illustrate the positive differences these upgrades are making in daily school life. When the district’s communications team or public information office issues press releases about ribbon cuttings, facility unveilings, or major project completions, ensure they emphasize not just the completion of the project, but also the meaningful impact it has on learning environments, student experiences, and school community pride.
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• Leverage Internal Communication Channels: Utilize school- or district- newsletters or other internal communication channels to spotlight projects, improvements, and to celebrate different individuals and teams. This informs staff of how the district is investing in their school communities while also conveying that their work–and the environment in which they do it–is valued. Sharing these stories with staff fosters a sense of community and connection among staff and builds excitement and enthusiasm going into the school year.
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• Celebrate Team Members Doing the Work: Beginning shortly after the last day of the previous school year, through the summer, and into the early part of the next school year, take time to honor the contributions of teams who are instrumental in summer facilities work. Whether hosting a recognition event, coordinating an appreciation lunch, sharing personalized thank you's, distributing awards, or offering gift cards or time-off perks, taking time to honor the work of summer staff can help to communicate the value of their time and efforts–both to those doing the work and across the broader community.
   

• Include Student and Staff Impact at School Board Updates: Throughout the summer, share regular updates with the school board at public school board meetings. If there is a centralized dashboard for monitoring progress, include details about completion rates, interim progress, and quality control mechanisms that are being used. Beyond that, also highlight the impact the work will have on students, staff, and the community. Include visuals or videos when possible to help them more thoroughly understand the nature and extent of the work. You might even have students and/or staff attend meetings to speak to the impact the work has had on their school environments and opportunities.This helps to ensure board members understand the broader impacts of the work, feel justified in their spending decisions, and are able to share informed updates with community members on district plans and initiatives related to cleaning and maintenance.  
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Bringing Facilities and Operations Work to the Forefront

While facilities and maintenance departments do not often see themselves in the business of marketing their work, effectively showcasing their efforts can be essential to building public trust, demonstrating the value of district investments, and fostering a deeper appreciation for the critical role their teams play in student and district success. All too often, press around school facilities and maintenance only occurs when something goes wrong. Showcasing summer and fall readiness work broadly to the community demonstrates that the district is working year-round, diligently, and proactively to foster an environment that is welcoming, nurturing, and maximizes student development and achievement.