Schools could ask county, city for financial help amid air conditioning issues

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A hot topic for many parents and students is what can be done to fix Memphis Shelby County Schools’ HVAC and aging infrastructure problems.

On Monday, 12 schools were dismissed early because of air conditioning issues. Three schools let out early Tuesday.

One possible solution being talked about is sending out an SOS to the county and now the city of Memphis for financial help.

WREG has repeatedly emailed the district asking about the HVAC problems. Superintendent Dr. Marie Feagins addressed the issue during a student press conference on Tuesday night.

“We face an aging infrastructure that continues to plague our best opportunity to provide the best educational experience that our students deserve and desire,” said Feagins.

To combat the aging infrastructure, Dr. Feagins possibly plans to ask for more money from the county, which is responsible for funding schools, along with asking the City of Memphis to do its part.

MSCS School Board Member Mauricio Calvo says that’s a great idea, but perhaps unrealistic.

“We are underfunded and so is the city. They just went through a tax hike increase, and they have a lot of things they have to decide on their own,” Calvo said.

Calvo says a controversial alternative is to close and consolidate some schools.

“We need to close some schools. It’s a very political and difficult conversation, but it’s in the best interest of students. Other alternatives would be reaching out to the state to modify the funding formula,” he said.

The ongoing HVAC problem is a hot topic that shows no signs of cooling down.

Dr. Feagins said yesterday in her student press conference that more than one school is too much when it comes to HVAC problems.

Once again, WREG did reach out to MSCS for an update on HVAC issues today. We have not heard back.

We did hear from MSCS School Board Chairwoman Althea Greene. She says to her knowledge there were no problems today.

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