District staff reported that hiring an in-house HVAC technician has reduced costs and improved response times, and shared data on savings for the board.

Staff told the board that the HVAC technician role had been approved in February and the position has been tracked for roughly 18 months. During that period, staff said preventative maintenance savings totaled about $62,000 and reactive-maintenance savings were roughly $61,000, for an 18-month reduction in outside costs that the presenter described as equating to about $100,000 per year in savings once annualized.

Staff described additional benefits beyond HVAC work: the technician has performed plumbing tasks, bus maintenance assistance, event setups and other district needs, improving response time versus contractors and building in system-specific knowledge. The board discussed whether another in-house trade position would be useful; staff recommended an electrician as a complementary hire to support HVAC and CIP projects.

No new hiring vote was taken at the meeting; the item was presented as an informational update and to outline potential future staffing priorities.