If your school bond is one of the $100 billion approved in 2024, congratulations!
Securing a school bond is a massive step toward upgrading your district’s facilities to serve students and staff better.
Now that your school bond has passed, it’s time to start planning, form the right partnerships and build a strong team to make your school’s vision a reality. Here’s how to navigate the process and keep everything on track.
Start with a Clear Project Timeline
The first step to a successful project? A timeline that works. A rushed process can lead to costly mistakes or delays, so planning early with an organized timeline helps keep everything running smoothly. A pro tip is to start by working backward from your target opening date to map out key milestones.
Summer 2026 School Opening Example Timeline
2024
- November: School bond passes! Begin planning by engaging architects, designers and project leads to define your school’s goals.
- December: Reach out to furniture dealers to discuss timelines and set up meetings with stakeholders (administrators, teachers, designers, etc.)
2025
- January–March: Begin sampling furniture and collecting feedback from staff. Finalize space planning and preliminary designs, engaging multiple sources for input.
- April–June: Evaluate furniture samples, refine your choices and begin budget planning. Lock in quotes to secure current pricing and avoid increases.
- July–August: Finalize layouts and place orders for items with longer production or delivery timelines.
- September–December: Order the remaining furniture and coordinate delivery logistics with your vendors.
2026
- January–April: Wrap up any final orders, confirm installation dates and review logistics.
- May–June: Installation begins. Perform quality checks throughout the installation to address any issues.
- July-August: Spaces are complete and ready for staff to prepare for the new school year.
Key Takeaways
- 18–24 months before opening: Focus on space design and product sampling.
- 12–15 months before opening: Place orders to lock in pricing and ensure availability.
- 6–9 months before opening: Confirm logistics and schedule installation.
Build Your Team Early
Great projects start with great teams. Once the school bond is approved, gather input from key stakeholders, including school leaders, teachers, maintenance staff and possibly even students. Building your team at the start of the process makes sure you’re addressing the needs of everyone and helps surface potential challenges before they become roadblocks later on.
1. Partner with Reliable Vendors (Especially Furniture Vendors)
The right vendor can make or break your project. You’ll need to collaborate with architects, contractors and other specialists throughout the process. When selecting a furniture vendor, look for partners who can provide:
- Design expertise to help you plan the ideal learning space
- Sample programs so you can test furniture before purchasing to confirm it fits your school’s needs.
- A proven history of meeting deadlines and delivering durable, high-quality furniture.
- Pre-build programs that allow you to take advantage of the current year’s pricing and let you store the furniture free of charge until you’re ready for installation. These programs also let you avoid the rush, giving you peace of mind knowing you’ll have your furniture at the start of the scheduled installation.
If you need help determining what type of furniture will work best, check out this list of questions we’ve created to help you efficiently allocate school bond funds.
2. Stay Ahead of Budget Challenges
Managing your budget is all about being proactive. Here’s how you can stay on top of costs and avoid surprises down the line:
- Order Early: Locking in quotes early protects you from inflation or rising prices.
- Plan for Storage: If furniture arrives ahead of schedule, arrange for storage to maintain your timeline. This is a great time to take advantage of those pre-build programs we mentioned earlier. That way, your furniture vendor will store products in their warehouse until you’re ready for delivery.
3. Keep Communication Flowing
Communication is key! Set up consistent check-ins with your team and vendors to review the process, address any roadblocks, and keep everyone aligned and moving forward.
From Approval To Action
With the school bond approved, it’s time to focus on the details that will make your project successful. To stay organized and on track, we’ve created a School Bond Post-Approval Checklist – a go-to guide for managing timelines, budgets and partnerships. Fill out the form below to receive your FREE checklist!