2 days ago
State leaders give Connecticut schools easier access to grants for HVAC improvements
BRISTOL, Conn. (WTNH) — A pandemic-era program intended to help schools address concerns about indoor air quality will live on as a permanent feature of the state's wide-ranging school construction funding system.
Efforts to improve indoor air quality in schools has been a longstanding priority for local leaders, with many noting the negative effects of aging ventilation systems servicing school buildings constructed in the mid or late 20th century.
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A lack of sufficient air conditioning means schools are often forced to close due to extreme heat. Worn-down ventilation systems can be ineffective when it comes to removing dust particles that carry disease and agitate the lungs of asthmatic students.
The pandemic put those shortcomings centerstage, and state leaders rushed to act. Starting in 2022, the state government doled out $178 million in grants to help schools upgrade or replace their heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems, with 163 schools receiving funds.
Though the height of the pandemic is now in the rearview window, leaders still hoped to address the longer-term issue of air quality and climate control that still poses challenges for schools across the state. The response to those calls for improvements came in the form of a policy change that state leaders framed as a more permanent, consistent fix.
Rather than distributing funds through ad hoc grant programs, cash for school HVAC upgrades will now be included as part of the state's school construction funding system. The HVAC grants under the school construction program will be easy to apply for, Commissioner Michelle Gilman, the official who oversees the program, said.
'It's a monthly application,' Gilman explained. 'It's not a competitive grant program. So, again we have made this very easy for our school districts to demonstrate the need and apply for that.'
Gilman and Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz (D) visited a school in Bristol which received money as part of the earlier grants to tout the new funding arrangement.
'We've eliminated having to cancel school because of extremely hot days,' Peter Fusco, Bristol Public Schools Director of Facilities, said of the system that has been installed in South Side School.
Bysiewicz applauded the work done in Bristol and the coming funds for other districts. She noted the dual utility of the new systems — taming the effects of extreme temperatures while not losing focus of one of the original forces that drove the state spending.
'The public health benefits are really strong as well,' Bysiewicz said.
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