Indianapolis, IN

Fri 24 August 2007

So, I’m thinking about hot weather and schools. This has been one of the hottest summers on record. The grass has been brown most of the summer. (The rain we got earlier this week helped some.) State Fair attendance was down this year because of it. But what surprises me the most is that IPS closed early yesterday and will again today due to the fact that 40 of the 78 buildings do not have air conditioning. How do you get to 2007 and not have air conditioning in the buildings? (On the same thought, how do you get to 2007 and not have computers in every classroom either?) Where does all of this money go anyway? I think they have a renovation plan to upgrade the schools and add air conditioning over the next few years. But why has it taken so long? I understand all about budgets and stuff. But what I don’t understand is why adding air conditioning to their buildings hasn’t been a priority. I guarantee that Dr. White’s office is air conditioned. How can students and teachers do the best that they can do when your classroom is 80 degrees (on a good day?) At the same time, I do have a beef about schools who do have air conditioning. Why is it that if you do have AC, then you feel you have to run it at 56 degrees? Don’t you think that it would be more economical and better for the environment not to run the AC that low? I personally think that 74-75 degrees is comfortable. So, I guess until the people who negotiate the budget decides that the education of IPS students are important, then they’ll just have to get used to half-days on hot days. How do you explain to little Mary and little Johnny that the people who run their schools don’t think they are worth having adequate facilities?

: air conditioning, school renovations, Indianapolis Public Schools