Schools Ask for Financial Help Amid Air Conditioning Issues

The City of Memphis dismissed 12 schools early owing to HVAC issues

Memphis Shelby County Schools (MSCS) are grappling with ongoing air conditioning issues that have led to early dismissals at multiple schools. On Monday, 12 schools were dismissed early due to air conditioning problems, and three schools let out early on Tuesday. The issues have sparked discussions about potential solutions, including seeking financial assistance from the county and city of Memphis.

MSCS Superintendent Dr. Marie Feagins addressed the problem during a student press conference, acknowledging the district's aging infrastructure.

"We face an aging infrastructure that continues to plague our best opportunity to provide the best educational experience that our students deserve and desire," Feagins said. To address the issue, Dr. Feagins may request additional funding from the county, which is responsible for funding schools, and also seek help from the City of Memphis.

MSCS School Board Member Mauricio Calvo supports the idea of seeking more funding but notes that it may be unrealistic given that the city is also underfunded and has recently increased taxes.

"We are underfunded and so is the city. They just went through a tax hike increase, and they have a lot of things they have to decide on their own," Calvo said. Calvo suggests that closing and consolidating some schools could be a controversial but necessary alternative. "We need to close some schools. It's a very political and difficult conversation, but it's in the best interest of students. Other alternatives would be reaching out to the state to modify the funding formula," he said.

The MSCS board approved a $1.8 billion budget for the 2024-25 fiscal year, but the ongoing HVAC problems highlight the need for further investment in the district's aging infrastructure. While Dr. Feagins stated that having more than one school with HVAC issues is unacceptable, the problem shows no signs of cooling down. MSCS School Board Chairwoman Althea Greene reported that to her knowledge there were no problems on the day WREG reached out for an update on HVAC issues.

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Austin Keating is the Special Section Editor of SNIPS NEWS at ACHR News and Associate Editor of Engineered Systems and Mission Critical magazines. Prior to joining BNP Media, he served as field editor for Prairie Farmer and media specialist at the National Center for Supercomputing Applications. He is a graduate of Northwestern’s Medill School of Journalism, where he served as a Comer Fellow. He is an active member of the Illinois Journalism Education Association and holds several Autodesk certifications. Reach him at keatinga@bnpmedia.com.