Cumberland County Schools is chipping away at more than $300 million in deferred maintenance needs, with $28.8 million in projects underway or already completed.
Of the $28.8 million in projects, $26.4 million is complete or under construction. That work includes $11.5 million in HVAC systems, $4.8 million in roofing, $4.2 million in fire alarms, $3 million in painting, $2.5 million in exterior walls and windows, and $400,000 in smaller projects.
The projects are at different stages: Some are complete, while others are under construction.
During a joint legislative breakfast September 18, district leaders outlined how the school system plans to prioritize, finance, and complete repairs across its campuses. The update covered work already addressed, the process for beginning projects with new funds from the county, and the maintenance needs expected to receive the greatest attention.
The update was the latest step in a broader facilities-planning process involving school closures and consolidations, replacement schools, new construction, and repairs to buildings that will remain in use.
At a joint meeting in February 2025, district officials presented the findings of an MGT of America assessment that identified approximately $805.8 million in repairs and upgrades. District officials narrowed that assessment to a seven-year list containing $314.3 million in higher-priority work.
In February, the school board requested $300 million from the county for deferred maintenance as part of a larger facilities proposal. The district’s full facilities request later grew to $610 million, including $300 million for deferred maintenance, $160 million for previously identified construction projects, and $150 million for a new E.E. Smith High School.
In July, county commissioners authorized up to $510 million for school maintenance and improvements and replacements for E.E. Smith High and J.W. Coon Elementary. They also reaffirmed the county’s broader $610 million funding plan, with the remaining projects requiring future budget action.
$28.8 Million in Projects Completed or Underway
Kevin Coleman, the district’s associate superintendent of school support, said the $28.8 million is being funded through other sources and not from the county’s new $300 million commitment.
“That money identifies needs from the original assessment that have been completed or are being handled through existing funding,” Coleman said. “In the meantime, we are not sitting back and waiting—we put the pedal to the floor, and we’ve been able to spend $26 million from other funding sources.”
Among the largest amounts within the 71-item capital outlay are HVAC projects totaling $3.9 million at Gray’s Creek High School, $3.1 million at Luther “Nick” Jeralds Middle School, $1.9 million at Terry Sanford High School, and $1.3 million each at Alderman Road and Gallberry Farm elementary schools.
Together, those HVAC projects total $11.5 million, accounting for about 44% of the $26.4 million in work completed or under construction with previously budgeted capital outlay funds. The district’s spreadsheet also lists roofing, electrical, safety, structural, and other mechanical projects within that category.
In addition to the $4.2 million in firm alarms funded by the school district’s existing capital outlay budget, an additional $2.13 million in fire alarm work will be funded through the county’s $300 million for school projects.
The county funds include $451,000 each at Alderman Road and Gallberry Farm elementary schools, $344,600 at Armstrong Elementary School, $312,400 at Cliffdale Elementary School, $289,600 at Morganton Road Elementary School, $259,300 at Elizabeth Cashwell Elementary School, and $21,900 at Benjamin J. Martin Elementary School.
The $300,000 being covered through other funding sources includes emergency generators planned for four schools that serve as county shelters. Coleman said Cumberland County Emergency Management is purchasing the generators.
What the $300 Million Won’t Cover
The district’s original seven-year maintenance list totaled $314.3 million after officials narrowed the broader facilities assessment according to safety, urgency, and other priorities.
About $13.1 million of that list involved Central Services facilities. Those projects are not expected to use the county’s $300 million maintenance commitment because the school board directed those funds be used on campuses serving students.
“All of that money needed to go where students live, and that’s at the schools,” Coleman said.
Removing the Central Services projects leaves approximately $301 million in work associated with school facilities.
Another $21.5 million represents proposed work at locations the district does not plan to maintain because the properties have been transferred to the county, the schools have closed, or the buildings are expected to be replaced through new construction.
That includes $2.2 million in deferred maintenance needs at Manchester Elementary School and $1.65 million at J.W. Coon Elementary School. Together, the two schools account for $3.8 million in work the district says it no longer expects to complete after the school board voted to close them beginning with the 2026-27 school year.
“That $21.5 million is the deferred maintenance that we will not have to spend due to school consolidations and new construction,” Coleman said.
He identified Brentwood, Sherwood Park, Ferguson-Easley, Margaret Willis, Stedman Primary, Stedman Elementary, and E.E. Smith among the locations with maintenance needs that won’t be addressed.
The presentation noted that more locations could be added as new construction progresses. District leaders have said the closures and replacement projects are intended, in part, to prevent the school system from investing millions of dollars in aging buildings it does not plan to continue operating.
‘Our Systems Are Old’
The scale of the district’s HVAC problems drew questions from state Sen. Val Applewhite, who said she has repeatedly encountered schools where students and employees faced uncomfortable temperatures during hot and cold weather.
“Every single year, I have either gone into a school that is so hot that I felt like I was going to pass out,” Applewhite said. “Every single year, I’ve gone to a school in the wintertime with my hoodie on, going into the cafeteria, and you could literally see the frost in the classrooms.”
Applewhite acknowledged the size of the district’s maintenance backlog but questioned why recurring HVAC problems have continued to affect students.
“I know this bill is really big, and the cost of deferred maintenance is really big, but I think we need just a simple understanding of why can’t we get ahead of that in terms of HVAC,” Applewhite said.
Coleman said replacing a school HVAC system is more complicated and expensive than replacing residential equipment. A system for an average middle school could cost between $5 million and $6 million, he said.
“It’s not quite like a residential unit, where you get a three-ton or a five-ton unit in your house, and you can change capacitors, and things come back online,” Coleman said. “It’s complicated.”
He credited district employees with working outside normal hours to keep the systems operating.
“We have some of the best experts in the world who work here in Cumberland County,” Coleman said. “They work weekends, they work holidays, and they work at nighttime to get schools up and running.”
But maintenance crews can only do so much with equipment that has reached the end of its usable life, he said.
“Our systems are old, and our systems need replacing,” Coleman said. “You figure up a $300 million investment, and one-third of it is going toward HVAC, which by far is the largest investment we’re going to make moving forward.”
The district’s seven-year plan includes additional HVAC projects across multiple campuses. Coleman said their order and estimated costs could change as engineers verify the work, bids are received, and equipment failures create more urgent needs.
‘Are We Being Overly Ambitious?’
Kirk deViere, chair of the Cumberland County Board of Commissioners, said the size of the maintenance backlog demonstrated that the county had not invested enough in school facilities over time.
“When you have more than $800 million for deferred maintenance, that means we’re not taking care of the house,” deViere said. “We’re not doing the work to maintain it.”
The county had relied on lottery proceeds and other state funding rather than making the necessary debt investments, allowing the needs to accumulate, he said.
“The workers can work as hard as they want to, but if you don’t have the resources—and we’ll own that,” deViere said. “This board, the county commissioners, will own that because we’ve funded our schools just like we fund FTCC and our community college system. We failed to do that at the level that we should have.”
DeViere said the $300 million maintenance commitment and additional investments planned for school construction should not be characterized as acts of generosity.
“This is what we’re obligated to do,” he said. “Quite frankly, it hasn’t been done for many years.”
State Rep. Mike Colvin, however, questioned whether the broader maintenance and construction plan could be completed as proposed.
“Although there is a great need, this is an ambitious new construction plan,” Colvin said.
He said constituents asked him questions about proposed construction involving E.E. Smith High School and a new school in the Ferguson-Easley area. Colvin said lawmakers wanted to support local leaders but also faced questions from residents about whether the plans were realistic.
“Are we being overly ambitious?” he asked.
School board member Greg West said Cumberland County reached its current position because previous leaders had not acted ambitiously enough.
“We got where we are by not being ambitious enough, and that scarcity mentality has led us to where we are,” West said. “I think, regardless of what is happening at the local level, we need to be bold for the good of the community.”
School board Vice Chair Jacquelyn Brown argued that the district could not continue repeatedly spending money on equipment and facilities without addressing the underlying problems.
“Whenever we have a problem, whenever you have a hole in a bucket, we can’t continue to just pour money into that hole,” Brown said. “It must get fixed.”
She asked lawmakers to understand the district’s position and help explain the plan to residents.
“All we’re asking for is understanding and to know that we’re on it,” Brown said. “That’s the whole purpose here—that you can get understanding so that you can relay it to your constituents as well.”
Coleman said the district’s immediate priorities will remain elevators, preparations for roofing work, fire alarm systems, and HVAC replacements.
