Back-to-School Ready
How SMS Prepares Schools for Day One
The first day of school sets the tone for the entire year. While teachers prepare lessons and students gather supplies, SMS teams are behind the scenes making sure every classroom, hallway, and common area is ready to welcome them back.
More Than Daily Cleaning
During the school year, custodial teams focus on maintaining a clean, safe environment day to day. But as Division Manager Bruce Hoffmaster explains, back-to-school is different:
“By the time schools are ready to begin a new year, our teams have completed all summer projects and deep cleaning and spent the last week leading up to school day #1 going through the schools spot checking and getting back into their daily routines of cleaning.”
From dusting classrooms and disinfecting surfaces to vacuuming carpets and scrubbing hard floors, the focus is on creating a fresh, welcoming space. Teachers often arrive early to set up their rooms, and SMS crews are there to lend a hand. “Our teams also assist with moving items around, relocating furniture from room to room as needed, and removing items requested,” Hoffmaster notes.
Coordinating Every Detail
Back-to-school prep is about coordination as much as it is about cleanliness. “Normal day-to-day cleaning is maintaining the schools throughout the year, and ensuring that each classroom is student-ready,” Hoffmaster explains. “During back-to-school prep, we’re focused on detailed projects such as stripping and waxing of schools, carpet extraction, high dusting, and more.”
If a task falls outside SMS’s direct scope, the team makes sure it’s still handled. “If we are not able to perform a task within maintenance, then we are coordinating the project,” says Hoffmaster. “With SMS partnering with Perfection Group, we offer a ‘one stop shop’ for all facility needs, including custodial, maintenance, HVAC, landscaping, development planning, etc.”
Supporting Schools Beyond the Classroom
The school season is about more than classrooms — it’s about community. SMS teams help prepare for events, support school programs, and assist with logistics. “Many times our team assists with event coverage, preparations, and even directing traffic for graduation each year,” Hoffmaster shares.
When emergencies strike, SMS is available, too. Hoffmaster recalls one critical moment:
“Last year, we worked with the health department during a sewage line issue that flooded a section of the school and stayed in contact with them throughout the night as teams worked all through the evening to disinfect and prepare the school for normal operations to prevent further learning delays.”
A “Whatever It Takes” Mindset
One of the most essential parts of back-to-school prep is teamwork. Hoffmaster describes a recent challenge at the district’s largest school:
“We had several employees that came from other schools within the district to assist the team for weeks to ensure that we could be ready for the start of school. Our teams go above and beyond to work together to ensure that we complete assignments and all detailed cleaning at each school and other buildings before teachers and all arrive.”
Ready for Day One
Back-to-school season is a time of excitement and fresh starts. “It is crucial for us to work around those within the buildings as we fully detail and sanitize the schools to ensure they are day one ready,” Hoffmaster says.
At SMS, that’s the standard — doing whatever it takes to ensure schools open their doors confidently, cleanly, and ready for learning.