Despite the economic downturn, national public education spending is up 6.4% over the past year. While other markets have suffered from lack of fi nancing, nearly $200 billion in state and local government aid was included in the stimulus plan and is strengthening the education sector. As spending in this sector is tied to enrollment demands, elementary spending slightly decreased this past year, while middle schools have remained steady and high schools have seen the largest area of spending. Locally, Atlanta Public Schools continues to build projects funded through the Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax Program (SPLOST) which collects approximately $100 million annually.

For these reasons, the K-12 market is attracting more attention from A/E/C fi rms. The collapse of the residential and retail sectors has caused many consulting firms to branch out into other markets. This has resulted in a highly competitive bidding process, but fi rms with limited K-12 experience will fi nd it diffi cult to enter this competition. There are many firms that are established experts in this market, with an understanding of the owner’s unique requirements regarding issues such as scheduling, safety and sustainability.