Like homeowners with limited budgets and a long list of repairs, school districts often must make tough choices when it comes to deciding what building systems to modernize, renovate, or repair--or when to build new facilities. With $44 billion now available for states and schools under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, stimulus funding will lay the foundation for a generation of education reform and help save hundreds of thousands of teaching jobs at risk from state and local budget cuts. It will also help school districts make the physical repairs necessary for their campuses to thrive. Unlike many businesses that may relocate as their needs change, most school districts have a long-term relationship with their buildings, which form an important part of their identity. As stewards of the physical plant, the institutions' facility managers are responsible for ensuring that all its facilities are effectively meeting the needs of their users. Facility managers who are responsible for modernizing and upgrading school buildings with stimulus money will certainly have much to consider. Most institutions begin by drawing up a master plan. Implementing a strategic capital planning approach enables school facility managers to break out of a common "build-neglect-build" pattern. By considering overall long-term investment needs--both capital and operational--schools can break out of this pattern and better make the case for needed funding.