Committee hears citizens, staff on mold, dehumidification and communication failures

Column Dias, a resident who gave citizen input, told the Facilities and Operations Subcommittee on July 14 that recurring mold problems and poor communication from the superintendent’s office have left educators and students at risk. “Mold outbreaks should not be a seasonal occurrence,” Dias said, and urged the district to “write that work down, study it, and apply it consistently to the district’s operations.”

The subcommittee heard a detailed update from district staff about summer work to reduce humidity and limit mold growth. Mr. Pacheco, a facilities staff member, said the district has deployed building dehumidifiers, is buying additional units and is monitoring humidity in classrooms. “We started putting those dehumidifiers on as soon as the temperature started to rise,” he said, and the district will bring in 10 additional units “at the end of the month.”

Why this matters: high indoor humidity can encourage mold growth that affects air quality and can trigger health complaints. Committee members pressed for clearer, regular communication to the public and to staff after examples of missed updates were raised during public comment.

Details of staff actions and limits

Superintendent Tracy Curley told the committee the district has dehumidification built into only two buildings (Watson and Durfee) and is using portable units elsewhere. Curley said the schools with the worst histories — Sylvia and Spencer Borden — have new chillers or improvements and are “better.” The district has purchased heavier-duty dehumidifiers and smaller classroom units and is removing carpets and pouring VCT tile where needed.

Curley also said the district received a $2,900,000 grant to work on the Green School’s decarbonization and controls, which will include a heat-pump chiller; work is under way at roughly six buildings, she said. Facilities staff said some specialized parts for older unit ventilators had to be custom-manufactured to keep them operating until replacements can be scheduled.

Testing, custodial work and communications

The subcommittee discussed air and surface testing. Curley said an individual had requested a specialized medical test for the library suite and that the district should have done its routine testing as well. Curley said district testing is scheduled and that the results will be shared when available. She also acknowledged a communication lapse around one cleaning event and said the district failed to pause an area so an outside testing team could sample before custodial work began.

Committee members emphasized accountability. One member asked for a per-school report of rooms that fail the district’s cleanliness/health-and-safety standards and recommended principals take action where rooms are not compliant. Curley and Pacheco said principals understand the urgency and that the district will provide clearer, regular updates to staff, union leadership and the public to reduce conjecture.

What was directed vs. what was decided

Discussion only: committee members and staff debated testing cadence, communication routes and whether to rent or buy more dehumidifiers if heat and humidity persist.

Direction/assignment: facilities staff said they will bring 10 dehumidifiers at the end of the month and continue daily humidity checks in affected buildings; Curley said scheduled district sampling will proceed and results will be shared.

Formal action: none. No motion or vote on mold remediation, testing protocol, or emergency purchases occurred during the meeting.

Quotes and attribution

“Mold outbreaks should not be a seasonal occurrence,” Column Dias said during public comment. Dr. Tracy Curley, superintendent, said, “We don't know of a mold problem that we're not communicating. That's not what's happening,” while acknowledging the need for better information-sharing and a scheduled set of tests.

Ending

The subcommittee closed the item without a formal vote but with staff commitments to more frequent updates, continued dehumidifier deployment and scheduled testing. Committee members asked staff to return to the full committee with clearer, written protocols and per-school status reports before the school year begins.