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District cites failing HVAC, aging roofs and a 0.59 average FCI as staff listening tour feeds facilities plan
Summary
A staff listening tour of 85 schools produced 3,843 attendees and 2,034 survey responses; top recurring facility problems were HVAC (78%), roof leaks (65%) and plumbing (52%). District reported average Facility Condition Index of 0.59 and said no school closures are recommended this year while preparing a five‑year capital improvement plan and discussing bond timing.
Deputy Superintendent Gil Alvarez, Chief Operations Officer Steve Noble and facilities staff presented results of an 85‑school staff listening tour and an updated facilities master plan at the Jan. 12 board meeting.
Staff said teams visited all 85 schools, counted about 3,843 staff attendees and received 2,034 survey responses. The top facility issues reported by staff were inconsistent HVAC and climate control (78% of schools flagged it), roof leaks (65%), plumbing problems (52%), electrical issues (48%), and flooring damage (43%). District facilities director Luke Newman said the average district Facility Condition Index (FCI) is 0.59 — above the 0.45 best‑practice threshold — and that 68% of students attend schools with FCI values above 0.45.
Officials described a set of 42 “quick fixes” already addressed or in progress and said the listening tour feedback has been fed into the capital improvement planning process. Staff emphasized that facility condition is linked to academic goals and resource allocation: they described tradeoffs between capital outlay and operating funds and presented scenarios showing how a successful bond would accelerate major projects and delay closures, while no bond would require spreading capital work over more years.
The board and staff discussed how the district will evaluate closure considerations (FCI, utilization, enrollment projections, staffing and neighborhood impact). Staff said there is no recommendation to close schools this year and outlined a process for community engagement, swing‑space planning and further structural inspections (triggered by recent issues at Chester Lewis and other older buildings). Staff also described efforts to systematize data collection on facility condition (facility assessment software, learning environment index) and to prioritize accessibility, HVAC remediation and roof repairs on the capital improvement plan.
Board members asked for published site-level scores and a dashboard; staff said a dashboard will be brought back within weeks and that they are considering how to present site FCI and Learning Environment Index scores publicly. Staff said certain emergency structural issues could require out‑of‑cycle decisions in the future.
