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State makes EPA Tools for Schools mandatory; Wallingford completes checklists and plans 5-year HVAC inspections
Summary
District facilities staff said the state adopted the EPA Tools for Schools program as mandatory; the district completed school checklists, will submit them annually, and will start five-year HVAC inspections that require 20% of schools inspected each year beginning July 1, 2026.
District facilities staff told the operations committee on Jan. 13 that Connecticut has adopted the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Tools for Schools program as a mandatory requirement and that the district completed required checklists for each school by the Dec. 31 deadline.
Mr. Deptula, the district facilities representative, said each school now has a local committee to carry out annual walkthroughs and that custodial and building staff largely participated in the initial surveys. “It teaches people what building occupants… need to look for,” he said, describing the program as a way to surface issues that might not otherwise trigger a work order.
Mr. Deptula also described a separate, state-required five-year HVAC inspection program. The district expects the five-year inspection cycle to require professional inspections of 20% of schools each year beginning July 1, 2026 and continuing through June 30, 2031. The inspections will be performed by air balancers, HVAC mechanics and engineers; larger capital needs identified during inspections would be considered in the district’s waterfall capital-plan process and budget requests.
Board members asked whether the Tools for Schools checklists can feed grant applications. Deptula and Superintendent Belizzi said the district already tracks HVAC and automation needs in the waterfall plan and in its automated work-order system; while collected data could support grant applications, professional inspections will produce independent engineering reports useful for grant work.
Belizzi noted that the state mandate does not come with full financial support: “It's a mandate by the state, and they're not supporting it financially,” she said. District staff said smaller items identified by the checklists will be processed through routine work orders and larger items will enter capital planning discussions.
Next steps: building committees will continue annual Tools for Schools checklists, staff will submit required documentation to the state each year, and the district will budget for 20% of HVAC inspections beginning FY 2026-27.
