Board presses administrators on prolonged heating failures at High School North

Several board members raised ongoing heating problems at High School North, saying classrooms and staff have endured low temperatures during recent cold spells and asking for greater specificity on which spaces and equipment are affected.

"We've been experiencing, some, you know, extensive heating issues there...the High School North administration staff and students and community has been very, very patient," said a board member who asked the board to prioritize fixes. Administrators indicated they have been addressing issues hands-on and troubleshooting connectivity and controls with vendors; one administrator said remote connectivity problems with the vendor server prevented centralized control of many units, requiring on-site interventions.

Board members and staff discussed the HVAC manufacturer/model cited in meetings as 'Nesbit' (also transcribed as 'SBIT') and said particular batches installed during the COVID-era appear to have produced inconsistent results. Mr. Wagner (facilities/energy staff), who reported the boiler replacement and other projects, said the district is investigating which model numbers and building locations are affected and will report back with site-specific details before the next meeting.

Teachers raised concerns about thresholds for when classes are relocated for student safety and learning; administrators said they use professional judgment and will close or relocate rooms when conditions prevent learning, and that more specific temperature cutoffs will be provided to staff as needed.

The board asked staff to return with a more detailed inventory of affected spaces and machine/model information at the next meeting.