Board renews HVAC contract for one year while exploring in‑house option

The Rockingham County Schools Board of Education approved a one‑year renewal of its HVAC performance agreement with JCI, accepting a $23,000 increase to the district’s annual contract and instructing staff to continue evaluating longer‑term alternatives.

Facilities staff member Miss Young presented four options to the board, saying bids for a multi‑year contract came back higher than expected. "The bids came back, and it was—they were very high," Miss Young said. She described options to (1) renew the existing contract from July 1, 2025, to June 30, 2026; (2) reissue the request for proposals with alternative bid options; (3) create two in‑house positions (licensed HVAC 3 and HVAC 2) and equip them with vehicles and tools; or (4) end the contract and outsource repairs on an as‑needed basis.

Miss Young recommended renewing the contract while the district develops the capacity and resources needed to hire in‑house staff. She told the board that bringing HVAC work in‑house would require upfront purchases—"just in the vehicles alone, we would probably be looking at $120,000"—and time to recruit licensed technicians.

A board member moved to adopt the staff recommendation to renew the contract for one year; a second was made and the motion passed by voice vote. The board’s action keeps the existing contractor in place for one year while staff and board committees continue cost comparisons and planning for a potential in‑house model.

The renewal preserves service continuity as the district weighs longer‑term tradeoffs: higher near‑term contract costs versus capital and staffing investments needed to internalize HVAC maintenance. Staff said the facilities committee will be involved in the subsequent study and in developing a proposal if the board chooses to create in‑house positions.

The board did not record a roll‑call vote or a written tally in the meeting minutes; the motion passed by voice vote.