What Education Owners Really Want: 5 Takeaways from SMPS San Diego’s Education Panel
Posted by [email protected] on Feb. 9, 2026 / Event Recap / Subscribe 0
SMPS San Diego’s recent program, What Owners Really Want: From Proposals to Interviews in Education, brought together four leaders shaping the region’s K–12 and higher‑education landscape: Sidney Hucklebridge‑Key from San Diego Unified School District, Jessica Kimbrell from Poway Unified School District, Aurora Ayala from San Diego Community College District, and Amanda Scheidlinger from San Diego State University. Moderated by Marty Glaske, the panel offered direct, practical advice rooted in real‑world review experience.
Below are five key insights the panel shared with AEC marketers and technical teams.
1. Answer the questions in order and prioritize heavily weighted scoring criteria.
The panel unanimously agreed that proposals should follow the exact structure set forth in the RFP. Mirroring the RFP order helps reviewers, especially non‑technical pre‑screeners, easily confirm that each requirement has been met. It may also be helpful to restate the question in the response before answering. The panel also suggested prioritizing sections with the highest point values, rather than over‑investing in low‑value checklist items.
2. Avoid “word slop” and keep your content clean, simple, and meaningful.
Many reviewers are seeing an increase in overwritten or AI‑inflated language in proposals. One memorable moment came when Sidney Hucklebridge‑Key recited an example of jargon‑heavy, yet meaningless text: “Our goal is to align instructional environments with adaptive operational insights to ensure scalable learner‑centric outcomes across evolving educational contexts.” With limited time and large volumes of proposals to review, the panel stressed that clear, direct content makes a far stronger impression, and often, less is more.
3. Don’t copy/paste. Errors erode trust instantly.
Several panelists referenced proposals that mistakenly included another school’s name or leftover content from previous pursuits. These oversights immediately weaken credibility and signal rushed work. A fresh reviewer should always be part of the final quality check.
4. Do your homework early and align with the client.
Effective preparation starts long before an RFP drops. Panelists encouraged firms to thoroughly research a client, reviewing campus design standards, watching recorded board meetings, and setting up meet-and-greets to understand district priorities. Proposal and interview teams should aim to reflect those values in their messaging and approach. Selection committees quickly recognize when firms demonstrate that alignment (and when they don’t).
5. In interviews, be natural, be prepared, and bring the real team.
When it comes to interviews, some panelists emphasized wanting to hear directly from the team members who will execute the work, while others said they prefer to see both executives and core team members in the room. Across all panelists, there was agreement that genuine team chemistry carries far more weight than an overly scripted presentation.
Each panelist left the audience with a closing piece of advice:
- Aurora Ayala: “Don’t hesitate to submit. You never know who your competition is.”
- Amanda Scheidlinger: “Be yourself . . . tell us who you are and that should be enough.”
- Jessica Kimbrell: “Transparency is key. Communicate with us. Let us know the why.”
- Sidney Hucklebridge‑Key: “Reflect our values . . . find out what we want, and then give it to us.”
SMPS San Diego extends its gratitude to Aurora, Amanda, Jessica and Sidney for sharing their candid perspectives, and to Marty Glaske for moderating a poignant conversation that helped clarify what matters most to education clients. Additional thanks go to C.W. Driver, RNT Architects, McCullough, and Balfour Beatty, whose sponsorship helped bring this program to the San Diego AEC community.
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