Whether it be school closures or unbearably high temperatures in classrooms, it is difficult to ignore Irvington’s continuous and long-standing issues with the HVAC system. Last year, The Voice covered the “growing incidences of HVAC malfunctions” which led to teachers handing out personal coats to keep students warm in the winter. The year before that, we reported on the school closure due to the lack of “sufficient AC units and properly maintained HVACs.” This year is no different— once again, we are met with crippling HVAC infrastructure unable to support the needs of the campus.
Some classrooms even faced issues even prior to the heatwave this October. In Room 73, one of Ms. Summer’s photography classrooms, the AC unit was taken apart and has yet to be put back together. The faulty AC unit’s interior formed ice when the temperature was set below 70 degrees which, once turned off, melted and dripped onto the floor. This past summer, maintenance staff, unaware of the unit’s issues, waxed the floors only to find that water from the AC unit had dripped onto the unfinished wax— which meant that the waxing had to be re-done.
From the library to the theater, various parts of campus have faced scorching temperatures that have made it difficult for students to learn due to the heatwave. “I had somebody say it was moist in here— that’s how bad it was,” explained Ms. Luna. “It was difficult for people to learn.” Although some students were unable to learn due to the heat, not all classrooms were affected the same way. Ms. Ferrer, in fact, felt that the temperature was too cold in her classroom. Other teachers had a mixed experience— where some areas in Mr. Ballin’s drama classroom were properly ventilated, others, like the costume shop, were not. He did note that the administration, especially Mr. Hicks, was responsive to complaints, even if they were unable to make tangible improvements. Other areas such as Mr. Ballado’s classroom and the wellness center did not seem to face any issues with the heat. The front office, notably, sat at a chilly 68 degrees.
Teachers generally also expressed a desire to control the temperatures in the classrooms to accommodate for personal student/staff preferences and variations in temperature outdoors. There is a set range for the HVAC systems and teachers are limited in the temperature they can set.
As a result of the HVAC systems overloading the transformer system, there was a power shutdown that led to a school closure. “Extensive work is needed to permanently address inadequacies with the school’s power system,” explained Principal Hicks and Superintendent Burmeister in a message to Irvington families and staff after the school closure. Funding, however, is often an issue when it comes to implementing proposals to revamp the HVAC systems as the District faces a budget short-fall.
Many unsatisfied with the response believe that the issue runs deeper. The district purchased units that were unable to cool rooms when students were present, especially in the afternoon when temperatures rise. “It doesn’t matter if you replace some wire,” explains Mr. Vucurevich, one of the affected teachers, “when it inevitably didn’t work, everything was a fake fix.”
It is clear that Irvington’s outdated facilities are significantly impairing the quality of education. There is a common consensus that the school needs to revamp its facilities but also more required sources of funding. Measure M, a proposal to transform Irvington’s aging facilities, is one possible source— but voters must approve a parcel tax on the ballot this November. However, if citizens reject the measure, budgetary constraints for the District will only increase.
