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 district balances immediate mitigation and longer-term construction. “We want our community to know 2 things. 1, we hear you. These schedule changes cause frustration, especially for working families. And 2, we’re taking action, but it’s gonna take several years to install air conditioning across 32 school buildings,” Kingsley said.

Why it matters: The district’s heat protocol affects daily schedules and family childcare plans, and the change interacts with state rules for required instructional minutes. Kingsley said the district convened an “action team” after a state change in how districts must report instructional minutes; that team may recommend calendar or bell-schedule changes and will present an update at the Oct. 7 board meeting.

Board members and public commenters pressed the district on near-term mitigation and longer-term timelines. Kim Carlson, a teacher at Linton Elementary, thanked facilities staff and administrators for the heat-protocol early-release decisions, saying early dismissals reduced student dysregulation at a hot school. Student Sawyer Green, a senior at Rocky Mountain High School, urged the board to preserve community comment and criticized reductions that would limit students’ ability to speak to the board; Sawyer also argued the district’s “school of choice” system limits access to some career-technical programs.

Board members underscored competing priorities and constraints. Director Kevin Havela and others said they supported the early-release decisions as safety-driven and urged better messaging and planning to reduce family hardship. Director Scott Schoenbauer called for policy and cultural reviews — including staff vetting and reporting channels — in light of recent staff arrests, while stressing the majority of staff remain professional.

District mitigation steps described at the meeting include the short-term use of portable cooling units and other measures while the multi-year air-conditioning rollout continues. Kingsley and board members said the district will continue evaluating calendar changes, including staggered starts and possible waivers from the Colorado Department of Education if needed.

Ending: Kingsley closed by noting strong student achievement data—PSD students outperformed statewide averages on CMAS, PSAT and SAT measures—and said the district will share further updates on graduation rates and the action team’s recommendations in the weeks ahead.