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District outlines multi‑year plan to expand air conditioning across Springfield schools
Summary
Chief Financial Officer Patrick Roach told the committee the district now has 31 schools with full air conditioning and described grants and a phased pipeline (MSBA, MassCEC, ESER funds) that will extend AC upgrades through 2028 and beyond; empowerment zone schools did not participate in the district study.
Chief Patrick Roach updated the school committee on May 20 on the district’s multi‑year plan to expand air conditioning across school buildings. "We have 31 of our schools currently with full AC," Roach said, and staff are pursuing multiple funding sources to expand coverage, including MSBA heat‑pump grants, MassCEC awards and federal ESSER funds.
Roach walked members through near‑term projects that are in progress or targeted for completion in the next 12–36 months, naming schools already completed with ESSER funding and others targeted for MSBA accelerated repair heat‑pump projects. He noted some grants are already awarded (for example, a MassCEC award for Glickman listed for fall), while other awards are pending. "Air‑conditioning projects take two to three years," he said, and several projects will be phased to align with grant schedules and building work.
Committee members asked about the empowerment zone schools (Kennedy, Kylie, Dougen) and Roach said those schools chose not to participate in the district’s AC study and will require separate engineering studies to pursue funding; he said studies can cost several hundred thousand dollars per site and are necessary to apply for some grants. Members urged the district not to defer maintenance or studies for those campuses.
The update also covered plans for schools being rebuilt or replaced through MSBA projects (which will include AC as part of new construction) and a confidential grant that would allow a preschool site to be air‑conditioned by summer 2027, Roach said. Members raised immediate operational concerns for summer programs in non‑AC buildings and urged mitigation: early dismissal from programs on hottest days, bottled water, fans in rooms and site selection to prioritize AC for summer offerings.
Roach and Superintendent Sonia Denal said staff will continue to seek grants and report back on project schedules; members requested follow‑up materials showing projected timelines, grant awards and which school sites will receive work in coming construction seasons.
Ending note: The committee did not take a policy vote on this item; the briefing set expectations for continued work and additional updates as grant awards and designs progress.
