![[Hidden] Colby Public Schools](https://www.gofmx.com/wp-content/webp-express/webp-images/uploads/2025/11/Screenshot-2025-11-03-at-8.46.22)
How it happened
Colby Public Schools, a district in northwest Kansas, faced mounting pressure to modernize its maintenance operations. Before FMX, the district relied on a disjointed mix of paper requests, emails, and even professional development software not designed for facility management. The result? Missed requests, poor visibility into costs and labor, and no way to track maintenance history or assets effectively.
As a result, teams focused on reactive or emergency maintenance rather than preventive planning. Their workarounds didn’t provide the data needed to justify the budget, so maintenance couldn’t advocate for repairs or replacements to leadership or the school board.
Benefits after FMX implementation
$60K
Saved annually
The solution: Centralized, data-driven maintenance management
In 2022, the district implemented FMX. Maintenance Director Collin Morrison led the rollout, beginning with the implementation of maintenance request tracking and planned maintenance. Over time, custodians and grounds crews increased adoption. They began logging planned tasks and inspections through FMX.
FMX quickly became the central hub for maintenance work across the district. From setting preventive maintenance schedules to tracking equipment costs and generating board-ready reports, the platform helped Collin’s team operate with far greater efficiency and visibility.
Results
Using FMX data, Collin and his team demonstrated the ongoing repair costs of an outdated steam system, which averaged $60,000 per year. This insight helped the district secure an energy lease that funded a complete system replacement, which would have been impossible to justify without FMX data.
“We weren’t going to save enough in energy costs to justify a lease, but FMX gave us the operational data we needed,” explained Morrison. “We proved we were spending that much every year, not just a one-off repair, and got the lease approved.”
Additionally, FMX helped eliminate hallway requests and off-the-record tasks that often disrupted technician workflows. This shift to putting requests in FMX allowed his crew to stay focused and avoid forgotten or undocumented tasks.
“Shirt pullers in the hallway used to be a big problem,” said Morrison. “Now, my team can stay on task without being interrupted constantly.”
While Colby initially purchased FMX for maintenance, its usage expanded over time. Custodians now complete planned tasks in FMX and receive recognition for their work, which strengthens morale and accountability and justifies the budget.
Looking ahead
As FMX continues to introduce new features, like enhanced inspection tools and automated SLA-based prioritization, Colby Public Schools plans to deepen its platform usage. FMX shifted the district from reactive to preventive maintenance, empowered team members with better tools, and unlocked savings that directly impact students and staff.
“If you have the data, you can prove anything,” said Collin. “That’s what FMX gives me.”