Poudre superintendent says extreme heat forced early dismissals, district launches multi-year plan to add air conditioning

Superintendent Kingsley told the Poudre School District Board of Education on Aug. 26 that extreme heat in the first days of the school year forced the district to use its heat protocols and issue early dismissals at many schools.

Kingsley said 32 PSD schools “do not yet have air conditioning,” that mitigation measures “simply cannot keep up during extended stretches of hot weather,” and that installing air conditioning across those buildings will take several years because much of the work must happen during 11-week summer windows and older buildings require significant upgrades. He said funding for the work exists through the voter-approved $20.24 mill levy override and that installations have already begun at Beatty and O’Day elementary schools.

The superintendent urged patience while the…