Gov. Ned Lamont is following up on a promise to help school districts upgrade their aging heating, ventilation and cooling systems during the pandemic. He’s earmarked $90 million in his budget for such projects. This comes just a month after our Accountability Project found that one-third of districts say they can’t afford the upgrades.
Lamont is asking the legislature to help establish a grant program for school districts to get state aid to upgrade their HVAC systems, and he wants to use federal American Rescue Plan dollars to fund it.
It’s a change of heart for Lamont, who told CT Public last year that local districts should take the lead on HVAC upgrades and that they should have the resources to do so.
A day after our reports showed that a third of districts said they didn’t have the money for upgrades, Lamont promised to help.
If Lamont gets his way, municipalities would have to provide matching grants to fund the HVAC projects.
The proposal is now being considered by the legislature’s Education Committee.
