County manager backs Henrico superintendent amid HVAC failures: She 'represents our brand'

HENRICO COUNTY, Va. — Henrico County Manager John Vithoulkas says he has “full faith and confidence” in Henrico County Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Amy Cashwell, even as two third-party assessments identify significant problems with how HVAC operations have been managed across county government and its school division.

In an interview with CBS 6 investigative reporter Melissa Hipolit, Vithoulkas backed Cashwell and pushed back when Hipolit asked how her leadership allowed the school division to reach this point.

“Dr. Cashwell didn't allow us to get in that position. I don't agree with the premise,” Vithoulkas said. He later reiterated:

“I have my full faith and confidence in Dr. Cashwell.” But earlier in the same interview, Vithoulkas described the school system as central to Henrico's reputation and Cashwell as someone who represents that reputation.

“Henrico County is known for excellence in all things. The most important function that we have in Henrico County is our school system,” Vithoulkas said. “It's a reason that people move into Henrico. It's a reason that people stay in Henrico. It's a reason that businesses locate in Henrico.”Then he said:

“Dr. Cashwell literally represents our brand that is so important.” That emphasis on Henrico's brand came as CBS 6 questioned both leaders about assessments that revealed significant shortcomings in HVAC operations and asked how those problems were allowed to persist.

Vithoulkas ultimately acknowledged responsibility at the highest levels of county leadership.

“What they have found, really, is unacceptable for the leadership of the county. I mean, this absolutely happened on our watch.”

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

Why Henrico commissioned the outside reviews

The assessments did not happen in a vacuum.

The Henrico School Board and Board of Supervisors jointly commissioned outside reviews of HVAC operations across both the school division and county government.

Vithoulkas told CBS 6 leaders wanted an independent look at how Henrico manages a large and complicated collection of buildings and HVAC systems, including 108 county buildings and 74 school facilities.

He said they wanted outside reviewers to examine what happens from the moment someone reports an HVAC problem through the point when the work is actually completed.

“What we wanted was a third party to come in and look at...when an employee makes a report regarding temperature in a room or a teacher...cites a problem in a classroom, how long does it take to actually get that work done?” Vithoulkas said. The assessments also followed months of HVAC problems in Henrico schools that CBS 6 has been documenting and investigating.

CBS 6 heard directly from students, parents and employees about hot classrooms, failing equipment and the use of temporary cooling units while permanent repairs were pending.

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

CBS 6 repeatedly sought an interview

During those months, as CBS 6 continued hearing from school employees and families about conditions inside Henrico schools, CBS 6 repeatedly requested an interview with Cashwell, but she declined. She did ultimately send out a video to families and staff where she said she was "sorry".

When Hipolit finally sat down with the superintendent, she asked whether Cashwell regretted not doing an interview and acknowledging what was happening earlier.

HIPOLIT: “Do you regret not doing an interview and...acknowledging what was going on earlier?”

CASHWELL: “I feel there was a lot of acknowledgement at the school level.”

Cashwell pointed to communication from individual schools, discussion at public School Board meetings and responses her staff provided to CBS 6 as examples of how the division had addressed the problems publicly.

What the assessments found

The two third-party assessments examined HVAC operations from different sides of Henrico government: one focused on the school division, while the other examined county government.

Both found heavily reactive HVAC operations and identified problems involving work management, preventive maintenance and clear ownership of the work.

On the school side, the assessment found work orders could close with limited or no notes, priority and escalation could be left to individual judgment, and problems identified during preventive maintenance could not always be traced to completed repairs.

CBS 6 asked Cashwell how much she knew about problems with the work-order system.

HIPOLIT: “Did you know that the work order system was the mess that it was?”

CASHWELL: “I wasn't familiar with the nuances of the work system, but I do regularly talk to our administrators. And you know, one of the challenges I was hearing from principals directly and from other staff, I run focus groups and make sure I stay tuned to what are the challenges. The challenge related to communication of a need, and then the what's next and when it's repaired was something that was bubbling up, and we began to make sure we were really digging in to understand what those causes were and are.”

WATCH: 625 open HVAC work orders in Henrico schools, COO questions data accuracy

Staffing shortages: 7 HVAC technicians, 9 positions open

The school assessment also identified a significant staffing problem.

It found seven central HVAC technicians serving 74 schools and buildings, with nine technician positions open.

CBS 6 asked Cashwell whether the school division could have done more to fill those vacancies and whether management problems could be contributing to the number of open positions.

HIPOLIT: “Do you think more could have been done to try to fill those vacancies...and is there actually, like, a management problem...that's leading to so many vacancies?”Cashwell said the division is examining those questions.

CASHWELL: “Well, we're certainly looking at all of that.”
“Looking to get feedback from those who are currently our technicians, technicians who may have left, is an important part of understanding that and understanding turnover.”

Cashwell also said some of the vacancies identified in the assessment are newly created positions. She pointed to challenges in the labor market and the school division's increased use of outside contractors to supplement its in-house workforce.

WATCH: Henrico touts HVAC progress, but families at this school say temps still unbearable

Did employees fear delivering bad news?

Vithoulkas' emphasis on Henrico's brand takes on additional significance in light of what multiple sources inside the school division have told CBS 6: that some employees have been reluctant to deliver bad news up the chain.

Hipolit directly asked whether a mentality of “protect the brand at all costs” could have prevented leadership from getting a full picture of problems inside the division.

HIPOLIT: “They're fearful of actually telling the truth to the leadership, such as yourself, about what's really going on because the mentality is protect the brand at all costs. Do you think there's any truth to that?”

Vithoulkas pushed back on the idea that senior leadership did not understand what was happening within the organization.

“This notion of the top level of management not being aware or knowing...the heartbeat of our organization, I think, is probably a little far-fetched.”But he also acknowledged:

“I do think there's absolute truth in the fact that from time to time you have work units that don't perform...to standard.”

Cashwell said that if employees have been reluctant to speak candidly, she wants to change that.

“If that has been true, I hope to leverage this moment to reiterate to our staff at large that...truthful feedback...candor is warranted at all times.”

‘It is 100% about trust’

CBS 6 also pressed Vithoulkas about the tens of millions of dollars Henrico County has directed to its school division in recent years to address HVAC needs.

Hipolit asked whether he questioned how those dollars had been spent, whether the county got what it paid for and whether leaders were now trying to rebuild trust.

“The trust is something we work on every day,” Vithoulkas said.Vithoulkas said he had seen the work being done and how resources were being allocated, and said county leaders would make sure those resources are spent efficiently.

“I have seen the work that they do, and the resources that they allocate. We are going to make sure that, obviously, that they're spent in the most efficient way.”His answer ultimately returned to the issue of public confidence.

“But yeah, it's about trust. It is 100% about trust.”

What happens now?

Henrico County and its school division say they're now working together on changes, including a new work-order system, better tracking and increased use of outside contractors.

They also plan to create an online portal where families can check facility problems and the status of work orders at their child's school.

Vithoulkas made a broader promise about what families should expect:

“The promise that's being made today is that...the experience that we had in the fall, you're not going to experience again.”
“And we're going to do everything that we can collectively to make sure that that promise is kept.”