SPS promotes facilities director to role overseeing projects funded by 2023 bond issue

Claudette Riley, Springfield News-Leader
·2 min read

As the projects funded by the 2023 bond issue ramp up, Springfield Public Schools tapped an internal candidate to provide oversight.

Shawn Dilday was recently appointed the new executive director of operations. He will fill a vacancy created when Travis Shaw — with whom he has worked closely — was tapped to serve as deputy superintendent of operations at the start of the 2023-24 year.

Hired in 2016, Dilday has been the district's director of facilities for eight years.

Shawn Dilday
Shawn Dilday

In the new role, Dilday will oversee facility maintenance, nutrition services, custodial and grounds services, school police, transportation and capital construction. He has oversight of all the projects funded by the $220 million bond issue approved in April, including:

  • Upgrading safety and security at all schools with protective glass film for ground-floor windows. Cameras, door and roof sensors and alarms will be added as needed;

  • Construction of new Pipkin and Reed middle schools;

  • Renovating and reconfiguring the Pershing school, currently operating as a K-8 campus;

  • Adding storm shelter gymnasiums at Cowden, Holland, Mann, Pittman, Watkins and Wilder elementary schools.

“Shawn has a tremendous amount of experience that will ensure we continue to achieve organizational efficiency and fiscal responsibility,” Shaw said in a news release. “He has demonstrated his success in the daily management of our facilities and other operations as well as a dedication to effectively overseeing large budgets, including capital projects.”

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If approved by the board, Dilday will move into the role this spring once his current position is filled.

Dilday joined the Springfield district after 17 years with the Neosho district, where he was the director of building and grounds.

He is board secretary of the Missouri School Plant Managers Association and president-elect of the National School Plant Management Association, which provides leadership and collaboration for facility managers in K-12 districts across the U.S.

This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: SPS promotes leader to provide oversight of 2023 bond-funded projects