JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Duval County School Board members are set to vote Tuesday on a contract amendment that would make up to $6 million available each year for HVAC services and large emergency repairs.
The vote comes after parents reported that some classrooms had been without air conditioning since the beginning of the school year.
In the first 11 days of school, district leaders said they responded to 1,300 calls for air conditioning service. The district blamed the problems on years of limited maintenance, a restricted repair budget, and extreme summer temperatures.
Under the proposed amendment, the district’s HVAC contractor would continue handling routine maintenance while also having access to up to $6 million annually for larger emergency repairs.
The funding would be intended to help the district respond more quickly to urgent issues and reduce disruptions to school operations.
The problems have frustrated families across the district.
Two weeks ago, Kayla Wiener said her three children at Westview K-8 complained about the heat inside their classrooms. Wiener said her second-grade daughter had a headache and stomach pain, while her autistic son came home flushed.
“My daughter’s like, ‘I have paper towels all over my whole body,’” Wiener said. “She had wet paper towels on her pressure points and stuff.”
Wiener questioned how students could be expected to learn in those conditions.
“I’m sending my schools to a safe place where there’s no A/C,” Wiener said. “That’s insane.”
Duval County Public Schools Chief Operations Officer Jim Culbert later addressed the district’s air conditioning problems during a news conference.
“We know it’s difficult to ask people to be understanding when temperatures outside are above 100 degrees,” Culbert said. “Understanding does not cool a classroom, and our students and staff deserve better.”
Culbert said the district tried to prepare for the start of the school year by turning on its air conditioning systems two weeks early. However, he said the surge of students returning to campus, combined with extreme temperatures, made it difficult for the systems to keep up.
The district has already set aside $50 million for HVAC services next school year, according to Culbert. Approval of the proposed amendment could make additional money available for those services and emergency repairs.
The school board meeting begins at 6 p.m.
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