Lessons from Steven Warshaw's K12 Facilities Forum Presentation—and What's Next at K12FF 2025

The Challenge: From Data to Decisions

Capital planning isn't just about fixing what's broken—it's about aligning resources, priorities, and strategy across an entire district. But too often, facilities planning teams get stuck in project-level thinking instead of taking a data-driven, long-term approach.

At last year's K12 Facilities Forum, Steven Warshaw, CEO of Intellis Labs, shared why that's a problem—and how data-driven capital planning is transforming K-12 facilities.

The Root Problem: Project-Level Thinking vs. Strategic Planning

As Steven explained, many school districts start with lists of failing components—plumbing, HVAC, electrical systems—and ask, "What if we fix everything?"

The smarter question is: "Which issues should become projects, when, and how do they fit into our long-term capital priorities?"

By defining data rules that determine when a component triggers a project—and connecting that logic to funding priorities—districts can shift from reactive repairs to strategic, data-driven facilities management.

"Capital planning isn't about fixing everything—it's about fixing what matters most, at the right time, for the right reason." — Steven Warshaw, CEO, Intellis Labs

Continuous Assessment: The Key to Smarter Planning

Traditional facility assessments are typically conducted every 5 years, leaving schools with static data that quickly becomes outdated. Intellis's approach is different—our system prioritizes ongoing condition monitoring that evolves alongside your facilities.

With this model, once a project is completed, the system automatically re-evaluates and updates conditions. Over time, this creates a living dataset—one that accurately predicts how facilities will perform years into the future.

Districts using the Intellis system have been able to:

• Track which buildings improve after capital investments
• Forecast future conditions with higher confidence
• Prioritize projects dynamically as needs evolve
  

Smarter Strategies Through Scenario Planning & Automation

The Foundation System by Intellis doesn't just generate lists of projects—it ranks and prioritizes them based on factors such as condition, capacity, safety, and sustainability, all while keeping budget constraints in mind.

One of its most powerful tools is scenario modeling, allowing districts to explore what-if questions like:

• What happens if we increase our budget by 10%?
• What if we focus on sustainability goals first?
  

The system visualizes the tradeoffs, timelines, and sequences to help decision-makers choose the best course of action. And when new obligations arise—like an unexpected asbestos remediation—the plan recalibrates instantly, keeping everything on track.

Balancing Automation with Human Judgment

While automation can streamline decision-making, Steven was clear: human insight is still critical. Facilities leaders bring context, experience, and judgment that no system can replace.

"Reality overrides," Steven said. "Technology should empower leaders—not replace them."

And the next step? AI.

Steven previewed how Intellis is expanding its platform to include AI-generated analysis—using existing data models, scenario logic, and historical context to provide foresight rather than just analysis.

Looking Ahead: What to Expect at K12FF 2025

At this year's K12 Facilities Forum in Bonita Springs, FL (November 9–11, 2025), Steven will lead an interactive roundtable titled Leveraging Technology and AI in Capital Planning.

Building on his previous talk, this year's discussion will go deeper into how AI in K-12 capital planning can help districts move from analysis to foresight.

Attendees will explore:

• How to structure facility data for meaningful AI insights
• Common pitfalls when "going digital" with capital planning
• Case studies from districts overcoming funding and capacity challenges
• Practical guidance for integrating AI into existing systems
  

This isn't a lecture—it's a conversation among K-12 facilities leaders ready to shape the future of technology in facilities management.

Watch Steven's 2024 K12FF Talk: How Data-Driven Capital Planning Transforms Facilities

Why You Should Attend

• Meet Peers: Connect with K–12 facilities and operations executives facing similar challenges.

• Learn from Experience: Hear proven strategies that work in real districts.

• Shape the Future: Contribute your voice to how AI will drive the next era of school facility planning.

• Get Hands-On: Walk away with actionable ideas to start (or accelerate) your AI-enabled capital planning journey.

Ready to See Intellis in Action?

Visit our conference page to explore how AI for school facility planning can help your district turn data into action.

Learn more about Steven's upcoming session and discover how Intellis Labs empowers data-driven facilities management through technology and AI.

Find out more about conferences Intellis Attends throughout the year!