Executive Editor Eric Larsen of The Fort Collins Coloradoan joined us to discuss a plan and possible price tags to fix the lack of air conditioning in 36 schools.
Poudre School District has been grappling with the issue of extremely high classroom temperatures in hot months, leading to school closures for “heat days.”
Projections say it will cost as much as $268 million to equip schools with cooling systems, according to an assessment by an outside contractor hired by the Poudre School District Board of Education.
“Colorado is one of the lowest per pupil funded education systems in the nation,” Larsen told KUNC. “But aside from that, that per-pupil funding doesn't really go to major construction projects like adding air conditioning to schools that don't have them. In Colorado, we have TABOR, which means that voters have to approve any tax increase.”
Asking to add millions of dollars to a taxing entities budget over the course of 10 years would surely get property taxpayers’ attention,
“So they (school officials) have to come and make that case to voters for a bond levy to fund the work,” Larsen said.
PSD has looked at traditional, Freon-based air conditioning and balked at the high prices and environmental impacts. Another possible AC solution is modifying existing heating systems in schools to also have cooling capabilities.
