Henrico County schools' new operations chief outlines 5-step plan to fix HVAC problems at dozens of campuses

HENRICO COUNTY, Va. — Dozens of Henrico County schools began the new school year with HVAC problems that left classrooms overheated, and the district's newly hired chief of operations faced the school board Thursday night to outline what is being done to fix them.

Greg Dunaway presented what he called a "strategic, data-informed approach" — a plan he said will provide immediate relief and help prevent future problems.

"We're not just responding to problems as they come up. We're building a durable system, real assessment. Real prioritization. Real investment. And real accountability," Dunaway said.

Dunaway broke the plan into 5 steps: an independent assessment of needs, prioritization of those needs, implementation of necessary improvements, measurement of performance, and adjusting and investing where needed. He described the process as a continuous loop.

"Together, this is a real shift from finding out equipment failed to knowing in advance that it's likely to," Dunaway said.

The goal, he said, is to expand the district's operational capacity.

"Our goal is to expand operational capacity and improve service delivery through timely, high-quality, preventative, and responsive maintenance," Dunaway said.

Among the biggest changes Dunaway presented was the addition of 3 new leadership positions designed to distribute a workload he said has grown too large for any single person to manage.

"Given the scale of what we manage, we have too broad a mandate for any one individual to carry a load. Regardless of who is in the seat and the amount of effort expended," Dunaway said.

In addition to 8 new preventive maintenance contractors who began work Sept. 1 to help address current problems, the plan also calls for hiring 5 full-time technician roles, for which the district is currently recruiting.

School board members questioned Dunaway about delays in the procurement process. Dunaway said supply chain issues with materials are a primary driver of those delays.

Despite the questions, board members appeared largely satisfied with the direction of the plan.

"What I'm hearing is things have changed, systems have changed," one board member said.

"I think that plans are coming to fruition," another board member said.

The full presentation and plan is linked on WTVR.com.

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