Government Officials Offer Solutions To Repair Damage Done By Freezing Baltimore Schools

BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- City and state leaders continue to throw money and resources at fixing widespread heating problem inside Baltimore City schools.

Even with crews working around the clock to fix broken heating systems, eight Baltimore City public schools were either closed or opened late Monday.

Now, Hogan has pledged $2.5 million dollars in emergency funds to fix broken heaters.

"Let me be clear: This is not to reward these people in this system who've failed. This funding is literally about saving kids from freezing in winter," Governor Larry Hogan said at a press conference Monday.

At a City Hall press conference Monday morning, Baltimore City Mayor Catherine Pugh said the city acted quickly over the weekend, with crews working around the clock to repair the heating systems.

"I thought it was important that we get this work done. I don't have time to sit around and figure out who's in charge," Pugh said

This sparring among city and state leaders occurred days after pictures of students bundled up inside classrooms drew national attention.

Parents are baffled at how things got so bad.

"They need to get it together. The kids deserve to be warm, they can't learn in the cold. I think it's horrible, they can't learn in the cold," parents told WJZ.

Hogan agrees, now announcing help in the form of $2.5 million dollars to get the heat working.

City schools lost more than more than $60 million in state funds to fix crumbling classrooms because of poorly-managed projects.

Even after emergency repairs over the weekend, several schools stayed closed with burst pipes and no heat.

Inside City Council chambers, former public school teacher and current City Councilman Zeke Cohen proposed an emergency resolution targeted at fixing classrooms and making sure students are fed when schools shut down.

"Safe, clean classrooms that aren't freezing cold, that aren't burning hot during the summer, and where they can drink water out of a water fountain. That should be basic," Cohen said.

The City Council unanimously backed that resolution.

The governor wants an inspector general an inspector general with oversight power into how school funding is spent statewide, citing repeated cases of mismanagement that aren't exclusive to Baltimore.

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