By JAN LARSON McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
With temperatures expected to peak above 100 degrees in unairconditioned classrooms today, parents were given the option to keep their children home. Nearly 300 did just that.
Next week may see a repeat of the heat.
“Tuesday doesn’t look much better than today,” Bowling Green Superintendent Francis Scruci said this morning. When temperatures get near 90 outside, the classrooms often register over 100 degrees.
Earlier this week at the board of education meeting, President Norm Geer talked about his goal to get air conditioning in the district buildings without it – Conneaut Elementary, Kenwood Elementary, and the high school. Crim Elementary and the middle school already have air conditioning.
Some interpreted Geer’s report to the school board as a done deal – with no public discussion. So after taking some heat, Geer and Scruci cleared the air Friday morning.
“There are people who think we were having sunshine violations and meeting behind the scenes,” Scruci said. The board president’s report time on the agenda gives Geer an opportunity to share his opinions, the superintendent said.
Geer explained that no decisions had been made on adding air conditioning. The board’s facilities committee has only received preliminary reports and estimates on ventilation and air conditioning improvements.
A workshop will be scheduled sometime in early June to present those reports to the board for discussion, Geer said.
While the board is committed to moving forward to improve the existing buildings for the safety and comfort of teachers and students, no specifics have been discussed, he said.
“I repeat, no options have been discussed. No decisions have been made,” Geer said. “I should have been more careful with my words. Air conditioning is my personal choice and I hope we as a board can find a way to get there.”
The lack of air conditioning has long been a problem at the aging Bowling Green school buildings – with students sometimes being sent home early as the temperatures rise in the afternoon.
“We know this has been an issue,” Scruci said.
One of the issues facing the board is the wisdom of investing money to air conditioned buildings that are more than 60 years old, and have several other issues such as asbestos that may be encountered during the air conditioning installation.
“Do we put good money into buildings that may not be long-term solutions,” Scruci said.
But Geer had pointed out Tuesday evening that voters had repeatedly rejected plans to build one new elementary school for the district. “We heard this loud and clear,” he said.
Now the school district wants to hear from local residents and teachers again – about adding air conditioning and about possibly building a new high school.
“I agree with what Norm said at the meeting. The high school is the flagship of your district,” Scruci said.
If the district residents want a new high school, it must be decided if it should be built on the current site with a combination of renovated and new construction, or if it should be built on a new site. Also to be decided is how the district would pay for it – possibly using federal COVID-related funding.
“We do want to hear from the community,” Scruci said.
Geer said Tuesday that he believes the district has enough funding to make the air conditioning improvements to the elementaries – thanks to the voters replacing temporary levies with continuing levies, which freed up money in the district’s rainy day fund. Though uncertain of the final amount, the district is getting tax revenue from the Rover pipeline, CARES Act funding, and may benefit from the federal infrastructure act, Geer said.
“We have the will and the finances to do this,” if the board decides to move in this direction, he said.
Scruci pointed out that even if the district decided to pursue air conditioning, the systems may not be in place by the beginning of the new school year.
