Those with complaints about temperatures in the school will just have put on (or take off) their big kid jackets and deal with it, as CISD now sets air conditioning and heating levels within the school.
State-mandated budget cuts resulted in the district reducing the percentage of funds being spent on utilities such as air conditioning and heating by taking control of building air conditioning and setting a certain temperature to be maintained throughout every room.
A state law that took effect this school year requires all Texas schools to reduce electrical consumption by five percent as a result of the $4 billion budget cut in education funds for the state. For CISD, that meant $3.3 million had to be cut from the 2011-2012 budget. That cut required Assistant Superintendent Randy McDowell to create a new energy management system.
“We had to update and establish guidelines that created a system that we could afford,” McDowell said.
With air conditioning and heating, less energy use equals a cheaper bill. The school board approved the recommendation of regulating a set temperature for every classroom in school buildings. Superintendent Mike Wartes and McDowell collected data from other school districts statewide that aided them in determining the most reasonable and effective temperature for CISD buildings to use.
“Seventy-three degrees is our set temperature based on temperatures and systems used by other schools in the state,” Wartes said. “Sixty-eight degrees will be the set temp for the winter months.”
Experts say that every degree represents a five percent savings, which for CISD, means that every two degrees saved shaves $60,000 off of the annual $2 million spent on utilities. Regulating and reducing heating and cooling costs brings the district closer to achieving its goal of reducing that annual amount by $200,000.
“Our goal is to be as efficient, when it comes to savings, as we can while still keeping everything reasonable,” Wartes said.
Wartes advises students to come prepared.
“I would tell students to watch the weather report and dress accordingly,” Wartes said. “If it’s going to be a really hot day, dress in lighter and cooler clothing, and if it’s a cold day dress warmly.”
Wartes said that despite struggles with the budget, the district continues to provide a quality educational environment.
“Even though we have had to make cuts, our goal has always been to protect the classroom, Wartes said. “We feel that with our new savings policies we have achieved that.”