HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. — Imagine heating and cooling over 14,000 homes every day. That is what Hillsborough County Public Schools does on a daily basis.
They have 29 million square feet of air-conditioned space in their schools, and it's a tough job to keep it cool.
This summer, 14 major construction projects took place to update AC systems throughout Hillsborough County Public Schools. Close to 100 schools’ HVAC systems have been repaired in the past five years.
“Teachers have a very hard job, and it’s a lot harder when it’s warm. For both them and for the kids,” said HCPS Deputy Superintendent of Operations Chris Farkas.
The projects were made possible by the more than $400 million received in referendum funds. In 2018, Hillsborough County voters approved a half-cent sales tax.
However, that is only the tip of the iceberg. Farkas said that's only half the billion dollars worth of maintenance needed.
“We had a billion dollars in deferred maintenance because the funding that came along with both air conditioning and roofs did not keep up with where we are. So deferred maintenance means things that we should’ve done in a timely manner that we weren't able to because of funding,” said Farkas.
Another 14 schools are slated for major HVAC repairs this year.
As you know, our area experiences extreme heat and humidity. The district said that currently, there are several maintenance requests from schools. According to Farkas, repairs are completed within 24 hours.
"We have a triage system. Is it a total school outage, is it a wing outage, or classroom outage? Obviously, we're going to send our guys to total school outages first. A lot of times, it's a chiller reset or something that we can do quickly and get them going," he said.
Short-term fixes like spot coolers and chillers are utilized as a temporary measure. Schools are also encouraged to relocate students if they are in rooms without working AC.
"Anytime there's an air conditioning out inside of a school, that student feels it, the teacher feels it. Our job is to respond as quickly as we can to make sure that we can do whatever we can to make sure there's an active AC,” said Farkas.
