The San Antonio Independent School District started the new school year Tuesday amid a heat wave, and, as predicted, the district’s HVAC systems struggled at times to cope with the August temperature.
“Today was our first day of school, and we did experience some air conditioning issues,” district officials said in a statement from SAISD Spokesperson Laura Short. “The majority of issues have been minor, involving single classrooms or non-learning spaces, and we quickly dealt with these. We also have had a few chillers go offline, but as of mid-morning they are back online and cooling.”
District officials said in the statement that they are “successfully addressing” the issues according to their mitigation plans.
SAISD Superintendent Jaime Aquino sent a letter to families last week outlining those mitigation plans, including a promise to check room temperatures at 5 a.m. each day and to act if the room temperature falls outside the normal summer range of 72 to 76 degrees Fahrenheit.
As a first resort, SAISD will deploy portable air conditioning units to classrooms. Next, students will be moved to other locations on campus if their classroom temperature remains high. As a last resort, SAISD has designated campuses that students will be transported to so that lessons may continue.
“We want you to know that while your children are in our care, they will be receiving instruction and kept safe and comfortable. We recognize that parents and guardians cannot easily take off work or find childcare when schools close unexpectedly,” Aquino said in the letter.
The San Antonio Express-News reported that four SAISD campuses were at risk of air conditioning problems on Monday: Bonham Academy, Cooper Academy at Navarro, Green Elementary at Riverside Park and Highland Hills Elementary.
AC problems forced Bonham and Twain academies to close at the end of May, and district officials said at the time that similar problems were likely to occur in August.
In May, Interim Operations Chief Jenny Arredondo told SAISD’s board that her department has a better idea of facility needs due to efforts implemented after heaters failed across the district in January. However, Arredondo and Aquino said aging infrastructure makes fixing the problems costly, time intensive and complex.
In last week’s letter to families, Aquino said making needed repairs to the district’s heating and cooling systems would cost $575 million, and that SAISD is planning to go out for a bond to pay for them.
San Antonio ISD is San Antonio’s third largest school district, with more than 40,000 students.
