Henrico schools chief breaks month-long silence on HVAC crisis. by FOX Richmond Thu, September 24, 2026 at 10:56 PM Henrico County Public School's superintendent, Amy Cashwell, sent a message to families to address HVAC problems in schools. (Source: Henrico Schools) HENRICO, Va. (WWBT) - Henrico County Public Schools and county government are hiring an outside firm to evaluate their internal operations, following weeks of heat and HVAC problems in schools. Henrico Schools Superintendent Dr. Amy Cashwell addressed the division's HVAC crisis for the first time since students returned this year, sending a six-and-a-half-minute video to families Wednesday night. The message came after a month of silence on the issue, despite pleas from students, parents and teachers to fix hot and unhealthy conditions in schools. In the video, Cashwell apologized and acknowledged the division's $92 million mechanical backlog. "Please know that I am sorry and that fixing these problems remain a priority. When a classroom, a hallway, or a larger area in a school is warmer than it should be, it is frustrating," Cashwell said. Cashwell said Henrico schools are not alone in facing these issues. "Public school divisions across the country are grappling with critical issues related to aging infrastructure," Cashwell said. Yet, records show Highland Springs High School, which is five years old, required HVAC repairs this year. Henrico County and Henrico County Public Schools are hiring local IT consulting firm CapTech for $190,000 to spend 30 days evaluating how both parties operate. The two parties will split the fee. County government will pull its share from contingency funds. Henrico schools will need to get its share by cutting something already allocated in its $971 million operating budget. CapTech will offer improvements to operations, including how both organizations manage workflows, data and computer systems, and open work orders. "For example, in our current work order system, there are long-standing work orders, some years old, that remain listed as open in our records, even though the physical issue was resolved long ago," Cashwell said in her video to families. Cashwell presented the CapTech plans to the school board at Thursday night's meeting. Brookland District representative Kristi Kinsella said, "In my experience as a longer term, longer serving board member, the challenges we face this year are actually less than those we faced in prior years." "I would certainly say, without even quantifying more or less, I'd say we've made dramatic progress compared to where we were with some of these challenges a few years ago," Cashwell replied at the time. The On Your Side Investigators emailed each board member afterward asking how many schools within their districts they had spent time in this year to experience conditions themselves. Three of five board members said they had not visited a single school in their districts since the new school year started. Ryan Young, who represents Fairfield, and Alicia Atkins, who represents Varina, are the only two who said they had. The following are the full statements provided by the other board members: Madison Irving, Three Chopt District, Board Chair on Sep. 14: "As the Three Chopt representative I remain responsive and informed about matters which occur within the buildings in my district. Whenever a concern is shared with me, I work with Dr. Cashwell and her team to see the matter is addressed. With it being the start of a new school year and my being a full-time high school teacher [in Chesterfield], I have spent my days with my students in my classroom. Know that I am a very active and engaged member and while my service looks different given my work schedule, I am just as aware of what's happening in my district as anyone else and whenever I have the opportunity to get into the schools in my district I do or whenever I am extended an invitation for school events, celebrations or happenings, I do my best to be in attendance." Kristi Kinsella, Brookland District on Sep 14: "As part of the back-to-school season and throughout the school year, I visit schools for events, to observe teaching and learning in real time, and to connect with the principal and school staff. My visits are not specifically related to HVAC issues. This school year, I intentionally limited visits while schools adjust to the new staggered start and are in the early stages of building routines and relationships. Operational issues such as heating and cooling are the purview of the superintendent, with the School Board's role being to advocate for and approve funding and contracts for mechanical systems as part of the annual CIP and budgeting process. My comments at the recent Board meeting about being in a better position this year reflected improved CIP funding over time to address problems and staffing, as well as a more strategic approach to both preventive and urgent maintenance, as detailed in Mr. Dunaway's presentation." Marci Shea, Tuckahoe District on Sep. 15: "During a typical back to school, I try to spend time in all the buildings in my district as an extra set of hands supporting staff and students. This year has looked different as I am currently teaching a full load of classes at Freeman High School to fill an unexpected physics opening (my background is teaching physics). Since I am currently teaching all day, every day, I have not had the opportunity to physically get around to all the buildings in my district yet this year. During the week before students returned, I was in Godwin, Freeman, and QMS." SPONSORED CONTENT MORE TO EXPLORE

CapTech celebrates ninth consecutive year on Forbes' America's Best Management Consulting Firms list. April 09, 2026, 14:00 GMT Earning a place on the Forbes list for the ninth consecutive year is a meaningful milestone for CapTech and a reflection of our team's commitment to delivering exceptional outcomes." - Andy Sofish, CapTech CEO RICHMOND, VA, UNITED STATES, April 9, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ - CapTech Ventures, Inc. (CapTech), an award-winning technology consulting firm with eight offices nationwide, announced that it has been recognized on the Forbes list of America's Best Management Consulting Firms 2026. This marks CapTech's ninth consecutive recognition and its eleventh overall. The Forbes list of America's Best Management Consulting Firms is presented by Forbes and Statista Inc., and is comprised of the best consultancies based on the results of an online, two-step methodology conducted by more than 1,000 partners and executives at management consulting firms; and a survey of more than 1,200 clients across 33 possible categories, which consist of 16 different industries and 17 different functional areas including AI. "Earning a place on the Forbes list for the ninth consecutive year is a meaningful milestone for CapTech and a reflection of our team's commitment to delivering exceptional outcomes," said CapTech CEO Andy Sofish. "As technology continues to evolve at an unprecedented pace, we remain focused on helping our clients navigate complexity, unlock innovation, and build what's next." About CapTech CapTech is an award-winning consulting firm that collaborates with clients to achieve what's possible through the power of technology. At CapTech, we're passionate about the work we do and the results we achieve for our clients. From the outset, our founders shared a collective passion to create a consultancy centered on strong relationships that would stand the test of time. Today we work alongside clients that include Fortune 100 companies, mid-sized enterprises, and government agencies, a list that spans across the country. Learn more at captechconsulting.com. # Legal Disclaimer: EIN Presswire provides this news content "as is" without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above. You just read: April 09, 2026, 14:00 GMT EIN Presswire's priority is author transparency. We do our best to weed out false and misleading content. The content above is the sole responsibility of the author who makes it available. If you have any complaints, kindly contact the author above. Christina Cooper