Nearly half of Hilton Head Island elementary classrooms are without AC. What’s happening?

As Hilton Head Island temperatures swell into the high 80s and students return to school, nearly 50% of Hilton Head Island Elementary School classrooms have poorly functioning or no air conditioning, according to the school district’s Chief Operations Officer Robert Oetting.

“(It’s) on the cusp of getting uncomfortable,” Oetting said of the classrooms teachers haven’t been moved out of. Depending on which of the school’s 30 affected classrooms, the air conditioning broke between one month ago and Aug. 14. Fixes for some areas of the school could be immediate, Oetting said, other areas could take anywhere from six to 12 months to fix depending on what’s wrong with the systems.

Hilton Head Island Elementary School isn’t alone in its HVAC problems. Issues span across Beaufort County schools, impacting the classroom environment due to maintenance delays. “There are numerous units down all the time,” Oetting said. “Especially right now in this heat because we’re running them constantly.”

Oetting said the district has deferred HVAC maintenance due to a lack of funding. Funds from the 2019 referendum weren’t allotted to HVAC, according to Oetting. What’s more is the district has about 10 technicians responsible for the HVAC units at its 32 schools.

The 2023 referendum allocation is different. With $16.9 million in funds, the district is slated to replace the HVAC systems and equipment at Beaufort High, Beaufort Middle, Port Royal Elementary and Whale Branch Elementary Schools. Money from the 2023 referendum won’t go toward Hilton Head Island Elementary School’s HVAC maintenance.

The HVAC failures at Hilton Head Island Elementary School come despite the district recently replacing many units. Oetting also said most broken units at the Hilton Head school are less than 10 years old, which is unusual. Typically they last 15 to 20 years.

“The superintendent has one in his office right now that’s 25 years old,” Oetting said, explaining that the salty air on Hilton Head Island causes units to corrode more quickly.

Oetting said about 30 of the school’s classrooms are impacted by broken heating, ventilation, and air conditioning units. The HVAC stopped working in eight classrooms, where temperatures are in the high 70s to 80s degrees. The school moved students and teachers out of those areas. Students and teachers remain in the other 22 classrooms, which have partially functioning HVAC systems and are 72-75 degrees. The main and administrative offices, and the entrance foyer also have broken HVAC.

Oetting said the district tries to be proactive with the breakages. In July, schools ran units to test for problems and determine which units the district needed to fix.

Some of the fixes are inexpensive, at around $5,000, others can cost up to $300,000 and require a crane for removal and installation, according to Oetting.