Operations Division

Welcome to the Operations Division

The Operations Division maintains and enhances the buildings that support our students and staff, ensuring safe and healthy environments, providing daily nutritious meals, and coordinating safe, efficient student transportation.

Find Your School Menu

View current menus, filter for allergies, see nutrition information, and more.

Technical Specifications

Access detailed project requirements and standards.

Check the Status of Your Bus

Updates are posted daily, with morning delays by 6:30 AM and afternoon delays by noon.

RFP & Bid Opportunities

Discover current and upcoming projects to collaborate with us.

Capital Programs

The mission of Capital Programs is to provide a safe, healthy, and welcoming learning environment for every student. We realize this mission by acknowledging that our buildings require ongoing maintenance and identifying and supporting investments in these buildings. Many Capital Projects include environmental components like asbestos abatement or lead paint stabilization.

Capital Improvement Projects

  • At any given moment, our schools can have over $225 million in active Capital Improvements in progress!
  • Our current projects include Boiler Plant Repairs, Roof Replacements, Fire Alarms, Emergency Generators, Classroom and Science Lab Modifications, Major Renovation & Additions, Site Improvements & Stormwater Management, Elevator Replacement/Refurbish, Cooling Plant/Chiller, Electrical Upgrades, and Paint & Plaster Stabilization.

Our Departments

Design
Design is a team of architects, electrical, mechanical, and structural engineers. We provide architectural and engineering design services to all departments of the School District.

We seek excellence in design and promote energy-efficient, maintainable and resilient facilities. It is our job to ensure our projects meet schedule and budget constraints. We are continuously seeking talented Design Consultants to perform design services for our schools.

Technical Specifications
The Technical Specifications define typical materials and manufacturers acceptable for use in School District of Philadelphia projects and are based on and complement the Design Guidelines.

Access our technical specifications HERE

  • They follow the CSI format and must be edited to correspond to existing and applicable conditions for each project.
  • They should be used as a minimum baseline guide for architects, engineers, contractors, and construction managers performing work on School District of Philadelphia projects.
  • They address the most common major systems.
  • They shall be used solely for School District of Philadelphia Capital Projects work.
  • Any other use, unauthorized reprint, or reproduction of this material is strictly prohibited.
  • For projects with a system not included in the specifications listed here, the designer must create the required section based on the CSI formatting and comply with the design guidelines and Educational Specifications.
  • Any deviations from the standards must be approved in writing by the Office of Capital Programs.

Construction
The Construction Unit implements the School District’s capital plan for new construction and renovation of existing properties. The team works closely with the Design Unit and contractors to ensure that projects are completed on time and within budget.

Submit Construction Bids HERE

Contracts
Contracts Compliance is responsible for professional service requests for proposals, pre-qualification of prime contractors, estimating, constructability reviews, advertising and distribution of plans and specifications, bid openings and bid evaluations, and approval of Schedules of Value.

We also prepare contract award resolutions, contract documents, and evaluation and resolution of change order requests and construction claims.

Finance
Responsible for developing the Capital Budget based on the current facility assessments and District operations feedback. We also:

  • capture total project costs and managing available bond proceeds
  • provide project and useful life details for new capital bond issuances
  • track the utilization of bond proceeds
  • manage capital encumbrances
  • manage the payment of capital-funded invoices through the financial system
  • reconcile the financial results between the project and financial processes
  • confirm the capital eligibility of requested funding
  • facilitate the preparation of capital performance metrics
  • prepare relevant financial reports to communicate our process

Welcome to Environmental Management & Services (OEMS)

Working to create greener schools and maintain healthy and welcoming learning environments for all students and staff.

environmental

Facilities Planning Process (FPP)

Priority 1 of Accelerate Philly is to improve the physical, social-emotional and environmental safety for our children and our school leaders. One of the strategic actions for accomplishing this is an examination of, and a plan to improve, our physical learning spaces. That said, with direction from the Board of Education, the School District of Philadelphia has formally begun a facilities planning process to assess and better manage the district’s school buildings.

Facilities Planning Process Overview

Process & Timeline

Facilities Planning Process

Overview Timeline

Click here to view a PDF of the timeline

Project Team Members & Roles

The Facilities Planning Process Project Team is a group of community leaders from across our city that will play an active role in drafting the facilities plan. These individuals represent a diversity of experiences and collectively have deep knowledge and understanding of our students, families, and community. They will meet monthly throughout this process to synthesize inputs from our public listening sessions and surveys, as well as review a wide range of data, to generate drafts for feedback from the Advisory Groups and the public overall. We thank these individuals for stepping up to serve in this important role and being generous with their time.

Project Team Members
  • Kenzy Ahmed, Student Board Representative, School District of Philadelphia
  • Soledad Alfaro, Chief Operating Officer, Chamber of Commerce for Greater Philadelphia
  • Dr. Darrin W. Anderson, Sr., President & CEO, Urban League of Philadelphia
  • Paul Bonewicz, Executive Director – Facilities Management and Services, School District of Philadelphia
  • Donna Bullock, President and CEO, Project HOME
  • Rev. Bonnie Camarda, Director of Partnerships, The Salvation Army
  • Dr. Debora Carrera, Chief Education Officer, City of Philadelphia
  • Walette Carter, President, Philadelphia Home and School Council
  • Peng Chao, Chief of Charter Schools, School District of Philadelphia
  • Donna Cooper, Executive Director, Children First
  • Rebecca Cornejo, Executive Director, Neubauer Family Foundation
  • Daniel Di Martino, Kindergarten Teacher and PFT Building Rep at Shawmont, School District of Philadelphia
  • Jannette Diaz, President and Chief Executive Officer, Congreso de Latinos Unidos
  • Tanya Edmonds, Local 634 organizer, School District of Philadelphia
  • Cynthia Figueroa, President and CEO, JEVS Human Services
  • Shanée Garner, Founding Executive Director, Lift Every Voice Philly
  • Joe Gravius, AIA, NCARB, Philadelphia Housing Authority
  • Regina A. Hairston, MPA, President & Chief Executive Officer, African-American Chamber of Commerce of PA, NJ & DE
  • Dorene Henderson, School Safety Officer and Interim Treasurer of SPAP union, School District of Philadelphia
  • Kenyatta James, Deputy Executive Director, Economy League of Greater Philadelphia
  • Mary Beth Morgan, Independent Living Specialist; Youth Transition, Liberty Resources
  • Dr. Penny Nixon, Chief Executive Officer, Universal Charter Schools
  • Sulaiman Rahman, Board Chairman, Mastery Schools
  • Deana Ramsey, Principal, Philadelphia Juvenile Justice Center School
  • Charles Rinker, Student Board Representative, School District of Philadelphia
  • Councilmember Isaiah Thomas, Councilmember and City Council Education Committee Chair, City of Philadelphia
  • Rev. Alyn E. Waller, Senior Pastor, Enon Tabernacle Baptist Church
  • Dr. Shakeera Warthen-Canty, Assistant Superintendent of School Operations and Management, School District of Philadelphia

Share Your Feedback!

Take the School Building Stakeholder Feedback Survey to share your thoughts on improving our facilities. Available in 13 languages.

Attend a Community Conversation

Register for an In-Person Session

Registration is highly encouraged but not required.
Session Schedule
  • Wednesday, December 11, 5:30pm – 7:30pm – English and Spanish session
    Spanish translation will be available. La traducción al español estará disponible.
    Congreso’s Education & Training Center, 2800 N. American St.
  • Wednesday, December 18, 3:30pm – 5:30pm
    Student-only sessions, 440 N. Broad Street

Register for a Virtual Session

Monday, December 2, 6pm – 7:30pm
TOPIC: Pre-K and Early Learning in partnership with Children First

Tuesday, December 3, 6pm – 7pm
TOPIC: Access to the Arts, Music, and PE

Wednesday, December 4, 6pm – 8pm
For District Staff & Faculty Only

Monday, December 9, 6pm – 8pm
For District Staff & Faculty Only

Tuesday, December 10, 5:30pm – 7:30pm
In partnership with The PEAL Center, for families of unique learners and IEP

Monday, December 16, 6pm – 7pm
TOPIC: CTE and Career Connected Learning

Tuesday, December 17, 5:30pm – 7:30pm
Spanish translation will be available. La traducción al español estará disponible.

Thursday, December 19, 4pm – 6pm
Student-only session

Friday, December 20, 8:30am – 10am

Past Materials & Reports

Facility Condition Assessment Summary Reports

The Facility Condition Assessment Summary Report provides a summary of the Facility Condition Index (FCI) value of a school facility and select major building systems. The FCI is a numerical representation of conditions organized into five performance tiers.

Facilities & Maintenance

The Facilities Department handles the day-to-day operations of district schools, including custodial services, field and green space upkeep, and climate-control systems.

Use of Facilities

The Facilities Usage Department organizes and schedules all requests for use of facilities submitted internally through the District and from outside groups and communities. Staff requirements such as Building Engineers, housekeeping, etc. are identified and scheduled as needed.

Fire & Life Safety

At the School District of Philadelphia, the safety and well-being of our students, staff, and visitors are our top priorities. The Office of Fire & Life Safety is dedicated to maintaining a secure environment in all our schools and facilities. Our mission is to protect lives, property, and the educational mission through proactive safety measures, rigorous training programs, and adherence to the highest standards of fire and life safety.

For assistance, contact our Program Coordinator at sstevens2@philasd.org or 215-400-5801.

What We Do

Fire Safety & Prevention:

  • Conduct fire drills and safety inspections
  • Ensure fire code compliance
  • Collaborate with local fire departments

Emergency Preparedness:

  • Develop and implement response plans
  • Train staff and students in emergency procedures
  • Coordinate with local emergency services

Life Safety Systems:

  • Manage fire alarms, sprinklers, and emergency lighting
  • Ensure systems are always operational

Safety Training & Education:

  • Provide ongoing training on fire safety and evacuation
  • Empower everyone to respond confidently in emergencies

Welcome to Food Services

Our programs and services prepare students for a quality education by providing the fuel necessary for learning. The Division of Food Services is proud to contribute to the educational process by providing daily healthy meals to Philadelphia students.

foodservices

Transportation Services

Coordinating the safe and efficient travel of students to and from school every day.

transportation

Technical Specifications

View Specifications

RFP & Bid Opportunities

Discover current and upcoming projects to collaborate with us.