FACILITIES MAINTENANCE PART 2—Luxuries vs. Necessities

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GCS SPENDING & PRIORITIES AUDIT: 

Deferred maintenance on HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) means ignoring aging chillers and failing controls until an emergency shutdown forces school cancellations.

In March 2026, GCS’s Chief Financial Officer admitted on the record that completing the second phase of the Goshen Junior High HVAC project alone would cost an estimated $4.3 million. Yet, when GCS finalized the 2027 budget in August, they only allocated $1.8 million for HVAC needs district-wide.

Now this month alone (within the first three days of September) we've had two HVAC failures that caused schools to close for the day or close early. That $1.8 million budgeted for HVAC in 2027 is less than half of what was identified as a critical need for just the Junior High—a single building! 

Meanwhile, the Board and Administration chose to allocate a massive $6.2 million of borrowing capacity for a brand-new, turf soccer stadium that they've described as "world-class" and having the most seats of any high school soccer stadium in Indiana. They are planning this while Goshen's student population (and therefore school revenue) is declining.

GCS administrators admitted on the record that to fit this expensive sports complex into the budget, they altered capital planning projections by "bouncing orange down for another year or two," deliberately postponing decaying roof replacements and carpeting. The roofs they bounced down the road were rated under GCS's own Moisture Management program as actively decaying and requiring replacement within three years. GCS chose luxury turf over basic shelter and climate control.

GOSHEN IS WATCHING: THE BUDGET 2027 PROJECT

The opinions in this blog do not necessarily represent school district positions, strategies, opinions, or policies. The same goes for replies made here.

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