Baltimore Teachers Union Asks For Fan Donations Over Lack Of Air Conditioning In Some City Schools
BALTIMORE (WJZ) — The Baltimore Teacher Union is looking for fans to keep their schools cool this year, but the district said infrastructure may not be able to handle all of it.
The union hopes to give schools 500 fans as some schools don't have any air-conditioning at all in the City.
In a statement, the school district said while it appreciates the union's efforts, they're concerned some buildings may not have the electrical load to deal with all that power.
"We don't want attempts to alleviate one problem to cause another issue with our buildings, such as blown fuses and power outages," the district said, adding they're working hard to make sure all schools are ready for the first day of classes, including by checking cooling systems.
"We are also continuing to implement our multi-year plan to install air-conditioning in the schools where students and staff are without this support that is essential to creating environments that are conducive to learning," officials said.
The district has an almost $3 billion maintenance backlog from decades of underfunding.