When people think about what makes a school run well, the first thought is often teachers, principals, or students. But every day, another group makes sure classrooms, cafeterias, courts, and fields are safe and ready for students. The HCS maintenance team is essential to HCS. 

Most of their work goes unnoticed. As Justin Witt, Director of Maintenance, shared, “Most people don’t see the behind-the-scenes work that maintenance does. They just know, hey, we have a problem, we want you guys to come fix it.” The reality is that maintenance is not only about fixing problems. It is about preventing them before anyone else sees them.

Witt explained that his team’s role touches almost every part of school life. “We wear a lot of hats. We not only do new construction, energy management, and general maintenance, but we also have to wear many hats. We do the work that captures the grand scheme of the district’s vision.”

That means the team is responsible for much more than leaky pipes or lightbulbs. Their work helps create spaces where teachers can focus on instruction and students can focus on learning.

One clear example came during the upcoming football season. Witt recalled, “We had plumbers and electricians checking home football fields before schools’ home games. I doubt anybody knew that. And we found issues that were corrected before anybody showed up for the first game.”

That proactive work meant games went on without a delay. Just as important, it meant students and families enjoyed a safe experience without ever realizing there had been a problem.

The start of each school year brings an overwhelming workload. “At the beginning of the school year, we get probably 500 work orders a day,” Witt said. “Being able to prioritize and address the most urgent needs is so important and one of the behind-the-scenes things that takes place.”

Every request matters, but with that many needs, the team has to make quick decisions. Their choices ensure that the most urgent repairs are handled first so schools run smoothly.

If families spent a day with the maintenance team, Witt believes they would be struck by the scale of the work. “The biggest thing that would surprise people would be the size of our school system and the number of maintenance workers that we actually have and the amount of work that they’re able to do.”

In other words, the team is smaller than people expect, but their impact is enormous. Consider just a few things they manage:

• Keeping heating and cooling systems running in every school
• Preparing athletic fields before games
• Managing energy across the district
• Supporting new construction and renovations
• Responding to hundreds of work orders each day

Witt admits there are challenges: “The hardest thing is knowing that something needs to be done but not having the resources to do them… not being able to repair things faster and address all needs immediately.”

Still, he finds meaning in the results. “It’s been rewarding to see all of the new projects coming together. Seeing teachers and kids in buildings that you work so hard to plan and design and build, and to see the end user, a happy end user, and actually utilizing that space that we provided. The guys are great and I truly appreciate them more than they know.”

Maintenance work might not be visible, but it directly affects teaching and learning. Every time a classroom is repaired quickly, teachers lose less instructional time. Every time a space is prepared in advance, students stay focused on learning instead of being distracted by building issues.

That is why today we pause to say thank you. Thank you for the long days, the proactive planning, and the work no one else sees. Because of your dedication, Hamilton County Schools stay safe, prepared, and ready to educate.