Cold classrooms at Ridge Elementary while the heating replacement drags on

What happened

On January 29, 2026 a parent told the board that she had to wear a hat and jacket to present in her daughter's Ridge Elementary classroom and that half the class sat in parkas or fleeces, with portable heaters bringing rooms to a comfortable temperature only by about 2 p.m. She said the heating replacement has no finish date before autumn 2026, that the problem appeared in a 2015 facilities assessment, and that the district architect flagged Ridge's HVAC as critically past its useful life in February 2019. The superintendent acknowledged the comment. The district awarded window replacements at Ridge and the Glen School in October 2025 and reported in June 2026 that window, furnace-room and faculty-room work at both schools was under way.

Why it matters to families

Children cannot learn well in rooms near the bottom of the state's 68 to 79 degree guidance, and this is the second winter affected. The board has since made a three-to-five year capital plan its first 2026 goal, but the 2026-27 budget's $1,740,000 capital list contains retaining walls, steps, classroom rehabilitation, air conditioning at Travell, tennis courts and a bathroom renovation, not further Ridge heating work.

The evidence

The January 29, 2026 approved minutes record the parent's account in detail, including the 2015 assessment, the February 25, 2019 architect presentation, the autumn 2026 completion estimate and the state temperature guidance, and note the superintendent's response. The October 27, 2025 addendum awards the Glen and Ridge window replacement contract, and the October 27 minutes report all HVAC units installed at Ridge.

The source