Last week, Chicago Public Schools shared that it will cost the district $14.4 billion just to address deferred maintenance for the 649 school buildings in the system, the oldest of which is 150 years old.
Over the summer, we saw the hottest temperatures in recorded history, and Chicago classrooms were no exception. Across the country, from Phoenix to the Midwest, educators are struggling to do their jobs in older buildings that cannot keep classrooms adequately cool or warm during the weather extremes that are becoming the new normal of the climate crisis, such as more frequent heat waves, flooding and other disasters. Climate scientists and experts predict weather incidents will intensify in the future in the Midwest region.
Now, more than ever, we need to prepare our school buildings to become spaces where our students can learn and thrive. The Chicago Teachers Union has pioneered a robust climate resiliency model that would be supported by federal investment in public education like the Green New Deal for Public Schools, which has been reintroduced by U.S. Rep. Jamaal Bowman of New York.
The average age of a CPS school is about 84, nearly twice the average age of U.S. school buildings nationwide. Many schools struggle with remnants of known carcinogens from the industrial era that present significant health implications for our most vulnerable students. This includes most of our school buildings that contain lead pipes, lead paint, and PCBs; lack water recycling or solar energy; and rely on ancient HVAC systems. Climate change is challenging our school facilities’ ability to operate.
The Green New Deal for Public Schools captures the scope of policies and investments needed to address the worsening climate crisis. The effort is essential for Black and Brown communities, which already experience the brunt of cumulative impacts from pollution and environmental contamination.
50 electric buses coming
Thanks to Mayor Brandon Johnson’s administration, the CTU and CPS are already moving forward on key features of the Green New Deal for Public Schools. For example, for the first time, CPS has applied for 50 electric school buses, with charging stations, union drivers, mechanics and engineers, to in-source student transportation, ensure stable and family-sustaining jobs in the district, and improve air quality along bus routes and in our neighborhoods.
After decades of deferred maintenance of our school buildings, this important work must continue. To do so, we estimate the cost in Chicago alone will be $30 billion. Only a federal package, like the $1.6 trillion Green New Deal for Schools, can provide what is needed.
Locally, we already have a strong head start and template to work from. In 2020, the CTU launched a transformative effort to address facility issues among historically disinvested communities through a Green Schools Campaign to educate and advocate regarding the urgent need for green, healthy facilities. School communities shared with the CTU’s Climate Justice Committee their facility concerns, including exposure to asbestos fibers, over-reliance on fossil fuels to power school buildings, contaminated water, and moldy and leaky roofs.
Some of the CTU’s critical issues are removing lead paint and pipes from our schools and installing solar panels, energy-efficient lights and HVAC systems. In addition, we have several hot zones for pollution, mainly in communities of color, which will require additional remediation. For decades, industrial zoning, bus depots, highways, landfills and other sources of pollution were intentionally placed next to Black and Brown neighborhoods, at a time when people of color had no other housing options because of red-lining.
Because of pressure from concerned parents, students, staff and the CTU, CPS invested nearly $1 million to address high lead levels found in the paint at McClellan Elementary School (now renamed Minnie Miñoso Elementary School). Currently, concerned school community members all over the city, and especially on the Southeast Side, are continuing with years of organizing to stop serial polluters from moving near their schools and to address their current aging and crumbling facilities.
A Green New Deal for Schools will allow our communities to become more resilient, healthier, and cleaner, at a time when it is needed most due to the increasing frequency of extreme climate and weather events.
Ayesha Qazi-Lampert is an environmental science teacher at Northside College Prep. Jackson Potter is vice president of the Chicago Teachers Union.
Send letters to letters@suntimes.com
The views and opinions expressed by contributors are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the Chicago Sun-Times or any of its affiliates.
