By admin 
TUCSON, Ariz. (13 News) – The Tucson Unified School District has spent $29 million in bond money this summer to upgrade air conditioning units across the district.
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In a news conference on Tuesday, July 28, Superintendent Gabriel Trujillo said upgrades were completed at 31 schools with 16 more planned.
Trujillo said additional upgrades are awaiting approval from the board. He said 50 schools will have upgrades by the end of this school year.
Impact on students, staff
A Fordham Institute study of New York public schools found failing HVAC systems negatively impact attendance, test scores, and behavior.
When cooling systems fail, so do students. So the upgrades could have a positive impact on student performance in TUSD.
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Trujillo said he’s already seeing the effects.
“We’ve already seen a dramatic reduction in outages and the calls that we used to receive before the bond about HVAC systems and air conditioning systems being out, so it’s already making a difference,” Trujillo said.
Isabela Lisco is a Report for America corpsmember covering education solutions for 13 News. Her position is made possible through funding from Report for America and the Arizona Local News Foundation’s Arizona Community Collaborative Fund.
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