Advocates, lawmakers stress the need to continue campaign for better air quality in CT schools

There is a need for a sustained commitment to the pandemic-era improvements in public school air quality, the group said during a press conference in the Legislative Office Building, particularly with the inevitable end of federal funding for upgrades to heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems in both suburban and urban districts. They called for a 10-year extension of the General Assembly’s School Indoor Air Quality Working Group, including HVAC professionals and state agencies in studying and overseeing the issue that’s contained in pending legislation. The General Assembly adjourns this budget-adjustment short session year at midnight May 8. About 100 out of Connecticut’s 1,500 school buildings have had HVAC upgrades over the last two years, at a cost of about $53 million. Advocates expect more than 100 schools will be included in the next round of grants, expected to soon be announced by the state Department of Administrative Services. Meanwhile, annual building reviews and five-year comprehensive inspections have created baseline information on so-called “sick schools.”

https://www.chron.com/politics/article/ct-legislation-campaign-cleaner-school-air-quality-19392285.php

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