Educators and parents are calling on Wake County leaders to spend more on public school infrastructure, namely through a voter-approved bond.
The Wake chapter of the North Carolina Association of Educators (NCAE) held a rally Wednesday calling for county commissioners to approve a bond resolution that would put the measure before voters. It's not clear how much the organization is asking for.
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The request follows dozens of early dismissals in recent school years for nonworking heating or air conditioning on excessively hot or cold days, frustrating parents who have to leave work early and disrupting learning for thousands of students.
Just this school year, various Wake schools have dismissed early a total of 28 times for heating or air conditioning failures, according to the district.
"Parents and community members want their kids in schools that are safe... that's what they deserve," said Christina Cole, president of the Wake NCAE chapter.
The event Wednesday evening in Raleigh is "just the first step in making it go public and putting the pressure on county commissioners," she said.
"We're going to collectively get together and raise our voices, so our kids can go to school. We want them in the building," said school counselor Beth Horant.
"We want our schools and our children to be safe at school, so we just want to make sure we have safe buildings," Taylor Cordes, a substitute teacher, said.
WRAL News reached out to Wake County commissioners for comment but didn't immediately hear back from any of them directly. A county spokesperson said it has not yet reached a budget request from the district.
The school system presents its budget request to county commissioners in the spring, and commissioners typically vote to approve a budget for the school system in June. That's when commissioners could vote on a bond referendum request, as well.
Sam Hershey, Wake County Board of Education member and facilities committee chairman, said he supports what Cole and her group are doing and that he wants to hear more from the community about what they'd like to see in infrastructure investments.
Wake school bond referenda typically pass, and they often go toward new schools, major renovations and even much smaller infrastructure or equipment purchases. Voter-approved bonds have lower interest rates than other bonds the district can take out on its own because of the dedicated tax funding them.
"The county has been incredibly supportive of our schools with bonds over the years, and our hope is that we will have another one in a couple of years," he said.
The Wake County Public School System is more than $200 million behind in heating, ventilation and air conditioning maintenance and listed $3 billion in unfunded, but expected, renovation needs through 2030 in a state survey in 2020.
Part of the HVAC maintenance lag is funding, but the district also doesn't have enough in-house staff to more quickly respond to HVAC failures, leading schools to close for uncomfortable temperatures.
Half of the district's HVAC maintenance positions were vacant in August, when temperatures were already poised to pose challenges to the new school year.
"We have 200 schools, and we have to maintain all of them, and we are competing for workers in a really strong economic area," Hershey said. The district is often criticized for having too many central office workers, but this is an example of not having enough, he said.
"We are working as hard as we can, and I know it sometimes doesn't feel like it, and I totally understand that," Hershey said. "But I get the frustration. I'm a parent, too, so I totally understand it... the board really cares about their kids and you know we care about staff and we want them all to have great learning environments, and this is a priority for us as it as a school board, for sure."
County health department officials inspect schools, both public and private, regularly.
WRAL News searched county inspection reports for schools since Oct. 1 and found schools score typically well above 90, out of 100. But even then, some issues were found most of the time, such as sinks, toilets or water fountains that aren't working or roofs and refrigerators that are leaking.
WRAL found instances of suspected mold on ceiling tiles when roofs had leaks.
Inspectors also cited some schools for poorly working or nonfunctioning heating and air conditioning systems that were making some classrooms uncomfortable.
One elementary school had eight nonfunctioning toilets. A high school had 25 toilets and urinals that weren't working. A middle school had 10 that weren't working.
The district says it sees some type of facility issue every day. A spokesperson said staff usually respond within 24 hours when there are HVAC issues or issues that could immediately impact safety. Issues affecting health and safety are the top priorities for staff responding to infrastructure issues, such as HVAC, spokeswoman Sara Clark wrote in an email to WRAL News.
"WCPSS is dedicated to providing optimal learning environments supported by sufficient resources, well-maintained facilities, and sustainable operational systems," Clark wrote. "Our Maintenance and Operations staff are engaged on a daily basis with maintaining and improving our school facilities... staffing for many critical areas is less than ideal, and causes delays in response times."
National groups and government watchdogs have graded school infrastructure poorly for years. The Report Card for America’s Infrastructure -- produced by the American Society of Civil Engineers -- in 2021 reported that 41% of the nation's schools have HVAC issues.
Hot or cold temperatures can be disruptive to learning. A 2023 EPA report concluded rising temperatures threaten children’s ability to learn in school. They cited studies that show reduced cognitive function in people exposed to warmer temperatures.
On Wednesday, Cole said the effect of nonfunctioning HVAC was clear.
"It's disruptive to student learning," she said.
The amount of money North Carolina schools list in unfunded infrastructure needs has grown by billions of dollars in recent years. The most recent five-year Facility Needs Survey – conducted in during the 2020-21 school year -- found $12.8 billion in unfunded needs over the next five years across the state.
"I know we're calling on the [county] commission for this historic bond, but the General Assembly's also responsible for capital improvements and school infrastructure. We know, historically...they have not fully funded schools," Cole said.
The Wake County Public School System reported $1.1 billion in renovation needs through the 2025-26 school year – some of which is has since found funding for via bonds -- and $1.9 billion more in renovation needs for the five years after that. The state Department of Public Instruction conducts the survey every five years.
Wake County’s school infrastructure challenges aren’t limited to current building conditions and renovation needs. The district also has overcrowded schools throughout the westernmost parts of the county, where population growth has for decades exceeded the pace at which the school system can build new schools.