Give schools power over heating and cooling systems
Cartoon by Eli Saletan
October 25, 2016
Last week, the high outside was 80 degrees. Yet, heat for all MCPS schools still turned on last Friday, according to the MCPS Department of Facilities Management.
In order to provide students with a comfortable learning environment, MCPS should allow each school to control its own heating and cooling system.
All Montgomery County schools use the Energy Management System, which shuts off all systems at 4 p.m. every day, principal Alan Goodwin said. This allows the county to save money by making sure each school’s system turns off at a designated time, thereby conserving energy.
However, this controlled, standard system doesn’t account for outside temperature fluctuations. Despite the warm weather this week, MCPS schools are still turning on the heat.
This isn’t just wasteful; it’s also uncomfortable for teachers and students.
Excessively hot or cold classrooms aren’t conducive to learning. A study of an Oregon high school found at temperatures of 81 and 61 degrees, students scored 72 and 76 percent on tests, respectively. At room temperature (72 degrees), students scored 90 percent on the same test because their brains were able to focus on the material, rather than the uncomfortable environment.
The current system doesn’t allow for daily adjustments to the heating and cooling systems. With control over their own temperature control systems, schools would be able to adjust to unusual changes in weather, ensuring that students and staff work in optimal learning environments.
The benefit of a uniform system from the county’s perspective is that the computerized system saves money because all systems are shut off at the same time, Goodwin said. But saving any money simply isn’t worth the educational trade-offs. Schools have a responsibility to create the best learning environments so students are able to actually learn. No matter the costs, MCPS needs to support classrooms that best foster education.
Managing temperature systems on a school by school basis is essential for student achievement and focus. Whether it’s sweating through tests as spring turns into summer, or shivering through a lecture in the fall, students shouldn’t be expected to brave the outdoors while inside.
Concerned Parent • Nov 7, 2016 at 5:10 pm
Allowing individual schools to control their heating and air conditioning will be extremely expensive for the county. Montgomery County is desperately in need of money and the money we do have should be used to resolve issues that are actually of significance. All across the county, our schools are too small to hold the growing number of students or lack the resources to adequately educate each student. So instead of putting money towards an insignificant issue we should turn our attention to issues that matter such as providing a quality education for everyone. I think we can sacrifice a little comfort in order to give an education to all students in Montgomery County.