MCPS staff outline Facility Condition Index-driven CIP prioritization, warn of large HVAC and roofing backlog

Montgomery County Public Schools facility managers told the Fiscal Management Committee on Sept. 17 that the district will use a Facility Condition Index (FCI) and additional equity and utilization criteria to prioritize capital projects when the district rolls out its CIP process in October. Andrea Swiatoka, deputy chief of facility management, said the district has posted the first set of FCI reports and will continue assessments for all buildings built before 2023. "As those systems age over time, they'll start to work their way towards 1," she said of the FCI scale that runs from 0 (new) to 1 (depleted).

The FCI will count for 50% of project prioritization, Swiatoka said, and the remaining criteria will include educational adequacy, air quality, access to daylight in learning spaces, classroom size relative to specifications and building utilization. "This is a non-subjective way of evaluating just the conditions," she said, noting that the FCI is weighted by the dollar cost to replace systems…