Operational Services

  • Division of Facilities and Operations and Other Departments

    Walter Pownall Service Center

    The Division of Facilities and Operations of Pinellas County Schools is housed at the Walter Pownall Service Center along with several other departments. We are located at 11111 South Belcher Road, Largo, FL, 33773, on the northeast corner of Bryan Dairy Road and Belcher Road in Pinellas County.

    Our main phone number is (727) 547-7100.



    Associate Superintendent, Operational Services
    Clint Herbic (727) 547-7100

    The Associate Superintendent for Division of Facilities and Operations oversees the operation of the following departments: Safety & Security(Area Maintenance Supervisors), Building Operations, Schools Police, Food Services, Transportation, Warehousing, Office of the School Board Architect (includes Educational Specifications and Real Estate and Concurrency Services), Utility Management, Maintenance, Environmental & Quality Improvement Services (includes Carpet Maintenance, Pest Control, and Turf Maintenance ). Also housed at the Walter Pownall Service Center is the Instructional Materials Department (a satellite office) which is not under the management of Division of Facilities and Operations.


    General Managers of Operations, Safety and Security 

    The General Managers of Operations, Safety & Security oversee matters related to safety, security, performance, and plant operations at the school level. They work collaboratively with the Associate Superintendent of Operations to plan and review strategic work protocols and assure professionally managed and maintained facilities. They conduct routine site safety reviews and plan, design, and coordinate safety and security projects with school-based personnel, district personnel, local government agencies and private contractors.

    Pinellas County Schools Fire Marshal 
    Alison Shanabrook: (727) 547-7190

    The Fire Marshal performs professional technical fire prevention and inspection work. Responsibilities include enforcing State Requirements for Educational Facilities, Florida Building Code, Life Safety Code, Prevention Code and other applicable state ordinances and regulations, managing the district’s Fire, Health and Safety (FHS) program and overseeing fire, casualty and sanitation inspections of buildings.

    Food Services
    Lynn Geist, Director (727) 547-7155

    The Food Services Department provides well balanced and nutritious meals to the students throughout the school year. This department has over 800 employees. They serve lunches, a la carte lunches and breakfasts each day. All menus are planned and coordinated using the U.S.D.A. Dietary Guidelines. They are self-supporting as they receive no funds from the School Board to pay for their program, personnel or equipment.

    Instructional Materials
    Dana Schaefer: (727) 547-7130

    The Office of Instructional Materials is the district’s liaison with the publishing industry.

    This department manages the textbook adoption process for the district. Adoption committee members review samples of textbooks and work with curriculum supervisors to select the books and other instructional items for Pinellas County schools. The Instructional Materials staff provides research and processes purchase orders on requested items from schools and department's state categorical funding. Many special projects are coordinated in this department, such as the distribution of Common Assessments and ESE materials. They also maintain and distribute Summer Bridge materials along with the items centrally created by our district. This department coordinate deliveries of instructional materials to all of the schools and departments within Pinellas County schools.

    This office is also responsible for the annual inventory of instructional materials purchased with state adopted funds.

    Maintenance
    Mike Hewett: (727) 547-7239

    The maintenance department employs trades personnel who repair facilities, maintain equipment, buildings, and sites throughout the District. Service requests are submitted electronically by designated people at each site directly to customer service for processing. Requests for service include carpentry, plumbing, electrical, technology, roofing, carpet maintenance, pest control, turf/grounds maintenance, heating/ventilation and air conditioning and painting to name some of the many services available. This department is also responsible for site work and the maintenance and relocation of portable classrooms throughout the District.

    Emergency Service/Work Orders
    (727) 547-7214

    Facilities Design & Construction (FD&C)
    Doug Pollei, Director   (727) 547-7113

    The Facilities Design & Construction (FD&C) department is responsible for the design and management of construction, remodeling and renovation projects at the School District’s educational and support facilities.

    Pinellas County Schools Police

    The Pinellas County Schools Police Department consists of 26 Sworn law enforcement officers and 10 civilian support personnel. The department provides law enforcement services to the school district which include School Resource Officers, internal criminal investigations, and a K-9 utilized for drug sniffs. The department’s emergency communications center provides 24 hour coverage as the first point of contact for the district throughout the year, as well as monitoring all intrusion alarms for the district’s 150 schools and support facilities.

    Real Estate Department
    (727) 547-7137

    The Real Estate Department acquires land for new sites and for existing-site expansions. This involves negotiations, appraisals, site studies (engineering, environmental, and biological), land-use approvals, public hearings, and closings. The department manages many site-related issues for 135 schools and centers occupying 2600 acres of Board-owned land, including easements, rights-of-way, vacations, and site-records management. The department also manages long-term land and facility-use agreements and short-term facility leases. 

    Transportation
    Director of Transportation: Rick McBride
    Pinellas County District Call Center: (727)587-2020

    The Transportation Department has 700 employees responsible for transporting the students of Pinellas County to and from school each day. Our school buses travel over 25,000 miles each day transporting in excess of 33,000 students. In addition, our buses service students for summer school, athletic functions, and educational field trips.


    Energy Management
    Energy Management (727) 547-7166

    The Utility Management Department coordinates the energy conservation program of the District. The department administers a program which monitors usage and establishes usage "targets" for each school and facility. Schools and facilities are visited throughout the year to monitor utility usage. Ideas and procedures for conserving energy are shared with the school and facility personnel. Their input is sought on ways to reduce energy use. Significant amounts of money have been saved over the past few years. Pinellas County's Energy Management Program has been recognized as being one of the best in the state as it has been awarded the Governor's Energy Award several times.

    The Pinellas County School District's Green and Healthy Schools Certification Program. The program is open to participation from any Pinellas County District school. To enter or for more information please contact an Energy Coach @ (727) 547-7170


    Vehicle Maintenance
    (727) 547-7243

    The Vehicle Maintenance section maintains over 1,200 vehicles, which include approximately 590 buses. They must maintain these vehicles in accordance with State and Manufacturer standards.

    Warehousing
    (727) 547-7125

    Twenty-seven (27) full-time warehouse employees are devoted to providing supplies and services that benefit all district staff and students. Volume purchases and centralized storage and distribution result in major cost savings for the school district. Requests for supplies are received, filled and delivered daily and include:

    Art supplies-Office and computer supplies-Floor care products-Forms-Audio visual supplies-Custodial and cleaning supplies-Cafeteria small equipment Furniture-Classroom supplies-First aid supplies-Frozen, refrigerated, and dry food-Electrical supplies and tools-Physical education equipment

    Other services include: Coordinating the disposal of all surplus/obsolete equipment through public auctions-Recycling, redistributing surplus furniture -Distributing all testing materials, student records transfers-Monitoring the inventory and fueling functions of approximately 1,200 vehicles including 750 school buses.