More than 3 dozen Pittsburgh Public Schools buildings do not have air conditioning

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — More than three dozen Pittsburgh Public Schools buildings still do not have air conditioning, leaving many parents worried.

"We are sending our kids to school. We expect them to be comfortable," parent Tifane said.

Her son's school is one of nearly 40 in the district without air conditioning. Due to the forecasted high temperatures on Wednesday, the district said 37 schools will operate on a half-day schedule.

Superintendent Dr. Wayne Walters sat down with KDKA-TV's Director of Community Impact Lisa Smith ahead of the school year. He said it's a slow process to add AC, in part, due to the hefty bill.

"We have five buildings over the course of this year that will get new air conditioning," Walters said. "But I also want to share with the public that's at an over $30 million cost. So, you know when you have older buildings, those expenditures are really high and costly."

KDKA-TV did some digging and found two of those buildings are on the chopping block. Two weeks ago, district consultants recommended closing 16 schools , including Whittier and Lincoln. Both are next in line to receive AC.

KDKA-TV's Mamie Bah reached out to the district to ask why spend millions if it could go to waste, and a spokesperson said these projects were determined well in advance of the recommendations and they aren't final.

"Where is all the money going if we are having all the fundraisers?" Tifane said. "Schools are closing, why don't we keep the schools open that have AC that works?"

KDKA-TV did ask the district what the plan is for Thursday, the official first day of school for kindergarteners. A spokesperson said currently, there isn't a plan to implement a half-day.