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District Explainer: Why school repairs require greater investment

 

Many of our school buildings are aging. Over the past two years, heating and air conditioning failures alone have forced schools to close or dismiss early dozens of times. These issues disrupt learning, create uncomfortable environments for students and teachers, and highlight the significant work ahead to keep our facilities safe, healthy, and modern.

 

Fixing this problem takes two things: major renovations to replace old systems and enough skilled staff to keep everything running day to day. Both require significant additional investment.

 

We share the community’s concern for the condition of our school buildings. Students and staff deserve safe, healthy, and modern learning environments, and we have been transparent about both the challenges and the investment needed to address them.

 

The district’s facilities team tracks and reports capital needs on an ongoing basis. That information is reviewed publicly each year during the Board of Education’s financial  planning process and forms the foundation for any future bond discussions. Capital investment will be necessary to catch up on major projects like HVAC replacements and large-scale building repairs.

 

But that is only half the story. Maintaining more than 200 schools is an everyday challenge. Just like caring for an old house, we need both major renovations and routine upkeep. To make the most of large building and maintenance projects (like HVAC replacements), we also need a robust maintenance workforce with strong technical skills who are paid competitively and available to provide the daily care that keeps systems running. Any investment in this area will require tough decisions, but as the superintendent outlined to the Board several weeks ago, we are prepared to take those steps.

 

As we plan for the future, we will continue to provide clear information to the Board of Education, county leaders, and the public about these needs. Transparency will remain central to this process so our community clearly understands what it takes to maintain safe, healthy, and welcoming schools for every student and educator.

 

What is the scope of the problem?

 

The most recent data on major deferred maintenance items was presented publicly during a joint Board of Education–County Commissioners session in February. That presentation provides a snapshot of large-scale facility needs but does not include every item at every school. A more comprehensive update will come after we complete the statewide facilities needs survey required by the NC Department of Public Instruction (DPI) in January.

 

In the meantime, we are moving forward on several efforts to provide a clearer picture of both long-term needs and day-to-day maintenance requirements:

 

Comprehensive facilities assessment

Every five years, a third-party vendor conducts a full facilities assessment for the district, as required by the NC Department of Public Instruction (NCDPI). Once NCDPI issues its final specifications, the work will begin, with completion expected by January.

 

Daily maintenance needs

 

Even as we plan for major repairs, schools still need daily care. Our limited maintenance staff responds to thousands of work orders each year—from fixing leaks to repairing classroom heating and cooling units.

 

We already know we are not adequately staffed, and part of the challenge is that current salaries are not competitive enough to recruit and retain additional skilled workers. Two studies are underway right now:

  • A compensation study to determine what pay levels would make us competitive in today’s labor market.

  • An organizational study to identify how many staff members are needed to keep pace with the needs of more than 200 schools.

 

These studies will help us understand what resources are needed to maintain our schools effectively and will inform future budget planning.

 

How much will it cost to fix the issue?

 

We are in the process of updating cost estimates through several efforts happening right now:

  • Comprehensive facilities assessment: A third-party firm will evaluate all school facilities over the next few months, as part of a required assessment by NC DPI. That work will be completed by January and will give us an updated picture of facility conditions and needs.

  • Maintenance staffing and compensation studies: Separate studies are underway to determine the appropriate staffing levels for a district of our size and what pay levels would be competitive to recruit and retain additional skilled staff.

 

Until those assessments are complete, any cost figures at this stage would be only rough estimates. Our goal is to bring forward verified costs so the Board of Education, county leaders, and the public have clear and accurate information before making funding decisions.

 

Additional resources and background materials