Lessons from Steven Warshaw's K12 Facilities Forum Presentation—and What's Next at K12FF 2025
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.
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
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facility assessments are typically conducted every 5 years, leaving schools with static data that quickly becomes outdated.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.
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:
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.
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.
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:
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
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.
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!