The San Antonio Independent School District is struggling to keep classrooms cool, with media reports of air conditioning outages and thousands of uncompleted work assignments.
Now we have discovered records that reveal the staggering amounts of money the district is spending on renting massive portable refrigeration units.
Some parents wonder if this is the most efficient way to solve the district’s air conditioning problems.
Records we received from SAISD show that the district has rented portable chillers for 20 of its locations, some since February.
The shocking price: More than $1.9 million in rental fees so far this year.
“I think this is just a temporary solution, like putting a Band-Aid on something,” says Miranda Tijerina, a mother who had to pick up her two children from Highlands High last May because it was too hot in the classrooms.
Tijerina says she is happy that the chillers are providing cooling, but the cost shocks her.
“I think the monthly costs should be used to replace the chillers,” Tijerina said.
Records show the district has already spent nearly $200,000 this year to rent refrigeration equipment at Highlands High.
The next highest rent was for Lanier High School, followed by Edison High.
We requested an on-camera interview with someone from SAISD, but the district sent us a statement that reads in part:
“It is ideal to have a permanent chiller for a facility, but sometimes a gap arises because a chiller needs to be repaired or replaced. In all cases, we lease chillers only for as long as we need them, whether to fill a gap in a long-term bond project or for an immediate maintenance need.”
The district says the 2020 bond money will be used for new refrigeration systems at Highlands, Lanier and Edison high schools, which have the highest rental costs.
The permanent chillers were ordered over a year ago.
However, part of the rent is paid from the district’s facilities budget.
Some parents wonder what else the rent money could have been spent on.
“This makes me sad because my children deserve a better education. They deserve a school where they feel comfortable and safe,” Tijerina said.
