By To address the reports of lingering issues with air conditioning systems in schools, the Houston Independent School District staff is working at 4:30 a.m. to make sure the systems are working before the school day begins.
KPR 2’s reporter Brittany Jeffers joined the district’s energy and sustainability team in their everyday task of scanning the HVAC systems before school begins.
“Our technicians now know where to go first thing in the morning,” HISD Senior Executive Director of Maintenance Eugene Salazar told Jeffers. “They get a jump before anyone else shows up on campus.”
HISD technicians start their day at 4:30 a.m. to scan possible failures and to address them as quickly as possible to make sure buildings are cooled even before the school day begins. However, to address the problem in a more fundamental way, HISD superintendent Mike Miles told Jeffers the district would need an overhaul of the HVAC system. He expressed buildings need more temporary coolers, new rooftop units, and new chillers.
“So, right now we are playing catch-up because the systems are so old,” Miles told Jeffers. “And I can’t advocate for the bond, but I can tell you that the bond package that we propose has a lot of air conditioning and cooling systems in it.”
HISD’s $4.4 bond proposal includes $1.35 billion designated for health and safety updates, including air-conditioning and heating systems, removing lead from water pipes, and enhancing security infrastructure.
For now, Miles said that HISD staff is focusing on solving the problems and having a healthy environment where kids can learn.
“We’re going to keep our kids safe; that’s our number one goal,” Miles told Jeffers. “We got to have kids in a warm or cool environment, depending on the weather, a comfortable learning environment, so that they can thrive. We’re going to do that.”
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