CBS 6 examines COVID funds, meals tax dollars amid Henrico school HVAC problems

HENRICO COUNTY, Va. -- Hot classrooms. Temporary chillers. Loud portable cooling units.

For weeks, CBS 6 has heard from parents, students and school employees about heating and cooling problems disrupting the school day across Henrico County.

"It's hot. It's hot. It's just hot," Varina High School student Lucia Papelino told CBS 6 during our previous investigation. "We're trying to learn, but we can't learn."

At Highland Springs High School, teacher Patrick Miller was asked whether it was fair to make staff work in hot conditions.

"No, it is not," he said.

Those complaints prompted another question: How much public money has gone toward HVAC and other mechanical work in Henrico County Public Schools, and where has that money gone?

CBS 6 asked HCPS for the numbers.

Nearly $97 million in meals tax revenue

Since 2015, HCPS says it has spent nearly $97 million in meals tax revenue on school projects.

Henrico County said the meals tax has raised $399,358,397 for schools since its inception, and that money goes to school operations, school projects, and debt service for large school capital projects, like new schools.

Of that, about $9.5 million, or roughly 10%, went specifically toward HVAC work, according to figures provided by the school division.

The money is one of several funding sources CBS 6 identified for HVAC and mechanical projects.

WATCH: 18 Henrico schools have AC problems. Parents want answers.

Nearly $18 million in federal COVID relief

HCPS also received federal COVID relief funding that was put toward ventilation and HVAC improvements.

According to the school division, nearly $18 million in federal COVID relief money went toward ventilation and HVAC projects.

The federal funding came on top of money provided through meals tax revenue and annual county funding.

County funding increased substantially

Henrico County also provides annual funding for mechanical and roofing projects in its schools.

For decades, HCPS received $2.5 million per year for that work.

Then the numbers began to climb.

In 2024, the county added more than $5 million for HVAC work at Douglas Freeman High School.

Beginning in fiscal year 2025, the funding increased further.

Over three fiscal years, HCPS received $46 million for mechanical and roofing projects, including $37 million specifically for mechanical work, according to figures provided to CBS 6.

Mechanical projects include plumbing, electrical and HVAC.

Nearly $5 million had not been spent or committed

But CBS 6's review of the numbers provided by HCPS found that $4,898,282 from fiscal years 2025 and 2026 had not yet been spent or committed to projects.

HCPS said money that is not spent rolls over and can be used for unplanned repairs and emergencies, including chiller replacements.

The school division also said $95,000 of that rollover funding will be used to pay for a third-party study of its facilities organizational structure.

WATCH: Emails reveal Henrico principals sounding alarm over HVAC problems: 'What a mess'

Superintendent acknowledges HVAC issues have 'fallen short'

After CBS 6 asked HCPS spokeswoman Eileen Cox about the funding and the ongoing HVAC problems, Superintendent Dr. Amy Cashwell sent us a lengthy statement and acknowledged the division has not met its own expectations.

“Providing a safe and comfortable learning and working environment for every student and employee is a primary responsibility of Henrico County Public Schools,” Cashwell said in a statement. “The ongoing HVAC issues have fallen short of that expectation; however, the division is making progress with short-term repairs and long-term operational changes to improve reliability.”

Cashwell said the challenges facing the division’s facilities “did not develop overnight” and said HCPS has had to balance HVAC investments with other needs, including school security, renovations, roofing and technology.

For years, Cashwell said, the division’s Capital Improvement Plan provided $2.5 million for mechanical and roofing projects combined. That money covered more than heating and cooling, also supporting plumbing, electrical work and roofing across the school division.

Cashwell pointed to significant increases in more recent county funding. She said funding for mechanical and roofing projects grew from $2.5 million in previous years to $10 million in FY25, $16 million in FY26 and $20 million this year.

She also addressed two sources of money viewers have specifically asked CBS 6 about: meals tax revenue and federal COVID relief funds.

Cashwell called meals tax revenue “an instrumental component” of the division’s work, saying it has helped pay for hundreds of projects, including HVAC improvements, security upgrades and safer school entrances.

She said that since 2020, HCPS has also used federal pandemic relief grants for equipment replacements, ventilation upgrades and building automation systems. Cashwell said the one-time federal funding allowed the division to accelerate air-quality and mechanical work that otherwise would have required additional local funding.

'Funding is only part of the solution'

But Cashwell also acknowledged that additional money alone will not solve the division’s facilities problems.

“Funding is only part of the solution,” Cashwell said. “How projects are prioritized, where the money is invested and how we proactively maintain our school buildings are just as important.”

Cashwell said HCPS is now reorganizing its Facilities Department to separate oversight of capital planning and maintenance operations, expanding its use of contracted vendors and overhauling the way maintenance work orders are tracked and closed.

She also said an independent, third-party organizational assessment will look for additional ways to improve efficiency.

Cashwell said the goal is to create “a more strategic, proactive and reliable facilities operation” for families, employees and Henrico taxpayers.

Was earlier funding enough?

Henrico County told CBS 6 that HCPS received the funding it requested. The county also pointed to millions of dollars in meals tax revenue it has provided to the school division to build new schools, which, of course, include new HVAC systems.

CBS 6 also contacted every member of the Henrico County Board of Supervisors seeking comment.

Some did not respond. Others, including the board chair, declined to comment.

CBS 6 will continue examining how the money designated for school HVAC and mechanical work has been spent as parents, employees and students continue raising concerns about conditions inside Henrico schools.

This is a developing story, so check back with WTVR.com for updates. Email the CBS 6 Newsroom if you have info, photos or videos to share.