Well, at our building the air conditioning finally seemed to kick in in the library today - it was about 62 degrees and in many of the rooms it was over 86 degrees. It's great to dress for two climates every day. And if you think kids and adults are cranky when they are cold, they are equally cranky when they are hot. I am tempted to take pictures of the electronic thermostats that have the degree readings on them.

And I think it's great that they are working at Poly, how about at the rest of the schools?

Of course they get fixed at the Poly complex before anywhere else.

I have long said that the reason things have gotten so bad in the schools here in that there is a lack of human and social capital in the communities that are served by the schools. Lack of parental involvement and community disengagement is one of the engines driving the "two-tiered" system Alonso spoke of yesterday.

BUT...the Poly complex doesnt lack that external capital investment from the community it serves ergo the boiler problems there gets fixed rather expeditiously.

As for my school...HA! Freezing...and how dare the staff speak out on it?!?

Remember to bring your jackets and plug up those broken windows, but dont dare complain...

There are similar issues in schools all over the city. This is nothing new. I remember once, during a formal observation, wearing a hat, coat and gloves while I taught my lesson. The students were similarly decked out. Why is it news when it happens at Poly, and not when it has been happening to so many other schools?

There are a lot of other schools that are cold, but they do not have students who take action in calling The Sun or North Ave. I refuse to see me and my friends freeze when we are trying to learn. Others simply need to inform officials of the problems.

The Acedemic Building of Poly is semi warm, and should increase in temperature throughout the day, but the Engineering building is completly freezing, and all but one of my classes is in the Engineering building. My mom was worried about me getting sick, so she took me out of school. Rather than me getting sick and having to stay out for days.

I am saddened by the amount of sniping there is in these comments. Maybe we could have just a little bit of unity and support on an issue as uncontroversial as having heat in a building? There are a lot of people involved in BCPSS - administration, students, parents, teachers... The people I know from the county see it as one big swirling mess. If we break into factions and start throwing stones we're supporting the idea that BCPSS is not worthy of the additional funding from Annapolis that we'd like.

A parent:

I am not sure that I see sniping so much as bringing to light real issues that in fact DO impact the quality of education, the value that the state and BCPS places on our kids and the conditions that face our communities.

I do suggest that like the kids at Poly, school communities begin to speak up. For example:

1) Call the command center - there's a line for parents and kids as well as another line for school folk
2) Have school leaders write emails to those in charge of building stuff and follow those up with moving things up the chain until there's some action.
3) Have students take pictures of thermometers and other issues that face facilities and send them along to those in charge
4) Have families show up to the school board meetings for public comment

For once I think that we have a CEO who actually wants to make things better. I think that he also gets how bad things are and that simply doing nothing isn't really going to change things.

In my building it was 89 degrees in one of our rooms and that was without any kids - I cannot imagine how how it was when there were 25 kids in the room.