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Fairfax County Public Schools mobilized roughly 200 pieces of equipment after the region’s biggest snowstorm in a decade, but a stubborn layer of ice complicated efforts to reopen campuses and could push cleanup costs to about $1 million.

The school system’s facilities team began preparing a week before the storm, holding meetings and arranging contractors as forecasts grew more serious.

By Saturday afternoon, a small group had assembled at a snow command center near Woodson High School. Large screens displayed weather coverage, real-time plow locations and road temperatures throughout the region.

The center also coordinates responses to hurricanes, windstorms and fallen trees.

Technicians arrived around 11 p.m. to inspect campuses and begin plowing. Crews start once snow reaches 2 inches and initially work shifts lasting 12 to 14 hours. Some leaders stayed at a nearby hotel to ensure they could report each day.

The storm’s changeover from snow to ice created the greatest obstacle.

“Every storm is different,” said Brian Davis, the school system’s executive director of facilities and maintenance. He said crews started plowing Saturday evening, before ice developed early Sunday and continued into the afternoon.

Breaking through that frozen layer became a major challenge across school property. Snow- and ice-covered parking lots and crosswalks remained among the areas requiring attention.

Custodians generally clear sidewalks, while the facilities team handles parking lots and crosswalks. Pedro Mercedes, an eight-year school division employee, said frozen accumulation can become impossible to push without machinery.

Travel conditions also slowed the work. Davis described back roads as “horrible” and said simply reaching schools in some neighborhoods had proved difficult.

Crews look for visible asphalt and parking lines before applying salt. Davis said reaching that point signals that a campus is approaching the necessary condition for reopening, though instructional staff ultimately decide whether schools open or remain closed.

“Safety is always a big deal,” Davis said, emphasizing that school grounds must be clear enough for students to walk safely.

Mercedes said crews repeatedly inspect cleared routes for remaining icy patches. The extended operation has also required personal sacrifices: He spent several days at a hotel away from his wife and young son while his wife handled snow removal at home.

“Sometimes, it’s hard when it snows,” Mercedes said. “I wish I was there with her to help her.”