By Jaivin Karnani, Marketing Strategist & Entrepreneur

In 2026, the conversation around indoor air quality (IAQ) in schools has moved well beyond HVAC filter replacements and open windows. Jaivin Karnani, a marketing and brand strategy professional with deep experience in government contracting and sustainable business operations, has been observing and advising on how school districts communicate, procure, and implement IAQ improvements at scale. Drawing on his work with Saroj USA and his broader background in performance-driven programs, Karnani brings a cross-sector perspective that is increasingly valuable as facility managers face tighter budgets, stricter federal guidance, and growing community scrutiny over the air students breathe every day.

Why blog/indoor-air-quality-in-schools-jaivin-karnanis-insights/”>Indoor Air Quality in Schools Demands Urgent Attention in 2026

The data is no longer ambiguous. The EPA estimates that Americans spend approximately 90 percent of their time indoors, and for school-age children, a substantial portion of that time is spent in classrooms. Poor indoor air quality has been directly linked to increased absenteeism, reduced cognitive performance, and higher rates of respiratory illness among both students and staff. A 2024 Government Accountability Office report found that roughly 41 percent of public school districts still need to update or replace HVAC systems in at least one school building.

In 2026, the urgency has compounded. Post-pandemic awareness raised the baseline expectations of parents and school boards. Federal infrastructure funding through programs like the EPA’s Clean Air in Buildings Challenge and continued allocations from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act have created real procurement opportunities — but also real procurement complexity. School districts that do not have a structured approach to IAQ planning are leaving both health outcomes and federal dollars on the table.

Jaivin Karnani’s Framework for Evaluating School IAQ Needs

When Jaivin Karnani analyzes any operational challenge — whether in e-commerce, government contracting, or school facilities — he applies a structured diagnostic framework before recommending solutions. For IAQ in schools, that framework begins with three foundational questions: What are you measuring? Who is accountable? And how are results being communicated to stakeholders?

Step 1: Establish a Measurement Baseline

You cannot manage what you do not measure. School districts should deploy continuous air quality monitoring systems that track CO2 levels, particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10), volatile organic compounds (VOCs), temperature, and relative humidity. Modern IoT-enabled sensors from vendors like Awair, Kaiterra, and Merv make real-time dashboards accessible even to under-resourced districts. Establishing a baseline measurement period of 60 to 90 days allows facilities teams to identify problem zones — often portable classrooms, older wings with limited ventilation, and spaces adjacent to high-traffic corridors.

Step 2: Assign Ownership and Build Accountability Structures

IAQ improvement fails most often not because of technology gaps but because of accountability gaps. Districts need a designated IAQ coordinator — ideally someone with both facilities management training and communication skills. This person bridges the gap between the maintenance team replacing filters and the school board reviewing health metrics. Without clear ownership, even well-funded IAQ programs drift into compliance theater rather than genuine environmental improvement.

Step 3: Communicate Results Transparently

Parents, teachers, and community members increasingly expect transparency on school health metrics. Districts that publish monthly or quarterly IAQ dashboards — even simple PDF summaries posted to school websites — build trust and reduce the reactive crisis communication that tends to follow indoor air quality incidents. This is an area where Karnani’s background in brand positioning directly applies: how a district communicates its IAQ efforts shapes community perception as powerfully as the technical interventions themselves.

Key Technologies Reshaping School Facilities Management

The school facilities landscape in 2026 is being transformed by several converging technology trends that facilities managers must understand to make informed procurement decisions.

Demand-Controlled Ventilation Systems

Demand-controlled ventilation (DCV) uses real-time CO2 sensor data to automatically adjust fresh air intake based on actual occupancy levels. Rather than running HVAC systems at full capacity during a half-empty professional development day, DCV systems modulate airflow dynamically. The energy savings — typically 20 to 40 percent on ventilation-related energy costs — are substantial, and many state energy offices offer rebate programs that reduce upfront capital costs significantly.

Portable Air Purification Units

High-efficiency portable air purifiers using HEPA and activated carbon filtration have become a practical bridge technology for classrooms in buildings awaiting full HVAC upgrades. The key procurement consideration is sizing: a unit rated for 500 square feet deployed in an 1,100-square-foot classroom delivers only partial benefit. Districts should require vendors to provide Clean Air Delivery Rate (CADR) specifications and match those to actual room dimensions and occupancy levels.

Building Automation System Integration

Modern Building Automation Systems (BAS) can integrate HVAC controls, lighting, occupancy sensors, and IAQ monitors into a single management interface. For multi-building school campuses, BAS integration allows a small facilities team to monitor and respond to air quality events across an entire district from a central dashboard. Vendors including Honeywell, Johnson Controls, and Siemens have developed school-specific BAS packages with simplified interfaces designed for facilities teams rather than mechanical engineers.

Navigating Federal Funding for School IAQ Improvements

One of the most practical areas where Jaivin Karnani‘s government contracting expertise intersects with school facilities management is federal procurement and funding navigation. Dozens of federal programs now offer grants, rebates, and low-interest financing for school IAQ improvements, but the application and compliance requirements are genuinely complex.

Key Funding Sources Available in 2026

The EPA’s Indoor Air Quality Tools for Schools program provides free technical assistance and resources. The U.S. Department of Energy’s State Energy Program channels funding through state energy offices for HVAC and energy efficiency upgrades. Title IV-A funds under the Every Student Succeeds Act can be applied to safe and healthy school environment improvements, including air quality. Additionally, many states have passed their own clean school bus and clean buildings legislation that includes IAQ components.

Procurement Best Practices

School districts pursuing federal funding must document their procurement processes carefully. Sole-source justifications are rare and scrutinized heavily. Competitive bidding requirements under Uniform Guidance (2 CFR Part 200) apply to most federal grant awards. Facilities managers should work with procurement officers early in the planning process — not after a vendor relationship is already established — to ensure the competitive process is documented correctly and the district remains in compliance with grant terms.

Building a Long-Term IAQ Management Culture in Schools

Technology and funding are necessary but not sufficient conditions for sustainable IAQ improvement in schools. The districts that achieve lasting results build IAQ awareness into their organizational culture — from custodial staff training to teacher onboarding to school board annual reviews.

Custodial staff are often the first to notice early warning signs of IAQ problems: unusual odors, condensation patterns indicating moisture intrusion, visible mold in storage spaces. Training custodial teams to recognize and report these indicators — and creating clear escalation pathways so those reports actually reach facilities managers — is a low-cost, high-return intervention that many districts overlook.

Teacher education matters as well. Classroom behaviors significantly affect air quality: keeping hallway doors open during high-traffic periods, using certain cleaning products near HVAC intake vents, or placing furniture in ways that block airflow registers can all degrade air quality independent of the mechanical systems in place. Brief annual training modules on IAQ-aware classroom management are easy to implement and demonstrably effective.

Measuring Success: IAQ Metrics That Actually Matter

Facilities managers and school administrators often struggle to define what success looks like in an IAQ program. Focusing on output metrics — filters replaced, inspections completed — rather than outcome metrics leads to programs that look good on paper but fail to move the needle on student and staff health.

The outcome metrics that matter most include: CO2 concentrations consistently below 1,100 parts per million during occupied periods; PM2.5 levels below 12 micrograms per cubic meter as an annual average; reported respiratory complaint rates among staff tracked quarterly; and student absenteeism rates compared against prior-year baselines. Districts that track these metrics over multiple years begin to build genuine evidence of program impact — evidence that is persuasive to school boards, parents, and grant reviewers alike.

Conclusion

Indoor air quality in schools is no longer a peripheral facilities management concern — it is a core educational equity and public health issue. The students most affected by poor indoor air quality are disproportionately those in older school buildings in under-resourced communities, making IAQ improvement an equity imperative as much as an environmental one. Jaivin Karnani believes that the gap between available solutions and actual implementation is not primarily a technology gap or even a funding gap — it is a strategy, communication, and accountability gap. Districts that treat IAQ as a managed program with clear ownership, measurable outcomes, and transparent stakeholder communication will outperform those that treat it as a compliance checkbox. In 2026, the tools, the funding, and the awareness are all in place. What is needed now is disciplined execution — and the willingness to hold outcomes to the same standard we hold every other educational investment.