Paraprofessional warns of HVAC, Wi‑Fi and fire‑safety problems at new Gallagher school

A paraprofessional at Joseph M. Gallagher told the board on Sept. 23 that the newly constructed school has experienced HVAC failures, poor Wi‑Fi and limited building safety features during its opening weeks. Roberta Cathcart said staff entered a warm building on the first day and later endured classroom temperatures in the 50s and 60s for several days while other rooms ran hotter. She said the building’s HVAC system appears to be controlled remotely and that staff have received inconsistent information about whether thermostats and fire‑safety systems are centrally managed. “If the Wi‑Fi goes out and we don't have Internet, are we also to assume that there will be no AC or worse, no heat in the winter?” she asked. Cathcart also said classroom phone connectivity is unreliable through the building, limiting staff ability to contact security or emergency services when devices lose service inside the school. She raised a concern that the building apparently lacks manual fire‑pull stations and questioned whether alarm control is networked; the district did not respond during the public comment period. Cathcart praised Assistant Principal Shontina Thornton for on‑site leadership but said operational shortcomings — missing laptops, delayed textbooks and inconsistent HVAC and Wi‑Fi — undermined teachers’ ability to instruct in week six of the school year. Her remarks were part of the public participation period; no formal board action was recorded on the comments.