Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Hvac topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Higley superintendent: aging HVAC, failed $25 million bond leave schools coping with heat
Summary
Higley Unified School District Superintendent David Lassenage said the district is addressing HVAC failures amid extreme heat, noting some units are more than a decade old and a proposed $25 million 2024 bond for upgrades did not pass; maintenance and teachers are responding with interim measures.
David Lassenage, superintendent of the Higley Unified School District (4248), told families and staff that the district is contending with air-conditioning failures as extreme heat and humidity arrive at the start of the school year. "Please know that as soon as we are alerted of a failure, we jump on, we assess the situation, and we find a solution to get the air returning to the classrooms as cold as possible, as quickly as possible," he said.
Lassenage said some HVAC units are more than a decade old and that replacement funding planned in a 2024 bond did not materialize. "As some of you may remember, the bond election in '24, we put in $25,000,000 planned for maintenance and improvements to our HVAC units, but unfortunately, that measure didn't pass," he said. Because the bond failed, the district has pivoted to prioritize repairs to address urgent failures.
He thanked the maintenance crew for their work across campuses and acknowledged the inconvenience to students and staff, noting teachers have sometimes moved classrooms to find cooler spaces. He closed with a community message, thanking families for patience as the district continues repairs and short-term fixes while evaluating long-term solutions.
The superintendent did not announce a new funding measure or timeline for large-scale replacements in this address; he emphasized interim repairs and prioritized responses to failures.
