SOCIETY

SF students deal with cooler temps outside, a broken boiler inside as part of aging infrastructure

Here's a look at a $1.7 billion infrastructure problem.

Wednesday, April 5, 2023

SF students deal with cooler temps outside, a broken boiler inside

The San Francisco School District has its share of old buildings with occasional problems. At least one school recently experienced a broken boiler.

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- The San Francisco School District has its share of old buildings with occasional problems.

On Monday, at least one high school experienced a broken boiler which made for an uncomfortable learning environment.

ABC7 news senior education reporter Lyanne Melendez looks at the $1.7 billion infrastructure problem.

We know it's been an unseasonably cold spring.

Students at John O'Connell High School in San Francisco dressed in layers to deal with the colder temperatures outside and a broken boiler inside.

"The bigger classrooms were really cold. The heaters weren't working well, some of the windows couldn't close well," explained Andres Flores, a student at O'Connell.

"I had to wear multiple sweaters and like even it was impossible to concentrate in class because everyone was shivering, some students even brought their blankets," said Dulce Samayoa a senior at the school.

MORE: Teachers statewide rally for better wages, working conditions for Bay Area educators in SF

Ironically, students call the school "Home of the Boilermakers."

"We definitely want to make sure that students and staff are comfortable in classrooms and office spaces in schools. We know if someone is cold, it makes it much more difficult to learn and to teach," expressed SFUSD spokesperson, Laura Dudnick.

Typically, the maintenance department responds as quickly as possible, but because they are short-staffed, it could take days.

MORE: Union reps reach agreement with SFUSD on underpayments to educators, but not without hit to morale

But this is part of a bigger issue involving an aging infrastructure.

According to the district there are a number of boilers that have outlived their lifespan.

A year ago, the Facilities Department went from school to school to do a thorough evaluation and found that there's a lot of work ahead of them.

"1.7 Billion dollars was the amount that was found in the assessment and so there are various upgrades that school buildings need. We know schools have playground, heating, electrical, they have plumbing," added Dudnick.

This ten-year facilities master plan will be presented to the board on April 25. Once adopted, the school district will ask voters to approve a bond measure to fund these projects.