CHATTAROY, Wash. – The Riverside School District wants voters to approve a levy to replace old heating and cooling systems that are making classrooms too hot for students to learn.
The district’s HVAC systems are 30 years old. Teachers at Riverside High School say classrooms reach 85 degrees on hot days. Some teachers bring their own fans to cool down their rooms.
Tyler Rohrman, a world history teacher at Riverside High School, said the heat hurts student learning.
“It really gets in the way of that collaboration when kids are so tired and so cooked that they can’t really think and their social batteries are drained faster because they just don’t have the energy,” Rohrman said.
Parent Stephanie Elie-Martin said her son and his friends complain about the temperatures.
“The HVAC system is something that is hard. Him and his friends are over every night and they’re always complaining,” Elie-Martin said.
The November ballot levy would pay for new HVAC systems in all district schools. If voters approve it, the levy will cost taxpayers $1.45 per $1,000 of assessed property value. That’s about $60 per month for the average homeowner.
Elie-Martin supports the levy.
“To me, this is community. We are not just funding the schools for the students and the teachers that are here. We are really funding the future of our community,” she said.
Most of the money would replace HVAC systems, but some would also improve school security. The district plans to redesign school entrances to make them safer.
Superintendent Ken Russell said the security improvements would include new entrances, automated doors, updated cameras and emergency communication systems.
“You would see updated security entrances at the schools, automated doors, updated cameras, updated emergency communications systems,” Russell said.
Ballots go out October 15. Election Day is November 4.
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