DUVAL COUNTY, Fla. – Parents and students have been raising concerns for weeks about broken air conditioning inside Duval County Public Schools, and the school board is expected to address the issue during its meeting Tuesday night.
Board members will consider spending millions of dollars on HVAC services as complaints from families continue to mount.
Complaints span multiple schools
Students at Riverside, Stanton College Prep and Westview K-8 have reported problems with their air conditioning systems. The district says $6 million would cover routine contracts and emergency repairs.
The School Board is expected to vote Tuesday night on whether to approve the funding.
DCPS also created a dedicated HVAC desk to dispatch technicians when problems arise, and the district increased its overall maintenance budget to $40 million.
Officials say much of that money will help maintain air-conditioning systems across the county.
District eyes complete A/C overhauls
Jim Culbert, DCPS chief of Operations and Technology Services, outlined a longer-term plan to address the most critical schools.
“This school year, six of our schools have been selected, and we’re going to completely redo the entire A/C systems for those schools,” Culbert said. “So we’ve asked our team to put together the list of the schools that need the most attention, and every year we’re going to be doing between six and eight schools, complete HVAC tear-out, renovation, and replacement.”
What’s next?
The key question is whether tonight’s board vote will approve these investments.
Families also want to know how quickly repairs could improve classroom conditions, with the goal of fewer students facing dangerously hot classrooms this school year.
The meeting begins at 6 p.m. and is open to the public.
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