Air conditioning became a heated topic Tuesday as district administrators and community members met on the revitalization of Manual High School.
Denver Public School administrators discussed plans to move the district’s headquarters to the northeast Denver high school, which was closed in the spring of 2006 because of poor academic achievement.
The 114-year-old school will reopen Aug. 20 with an estimated 175 freshmen, a new staff and a renewed effort to raise academic achievement, said new principal Rob Stein.
Under current plans, if the district moves its headquarters to Manual, the school would get air conditioning – but only for administrators and not for students.
“Do you see how ridiculous this is?” asked Manual advocate Jorge Merida.
The district is selling its longtime offices at 900 Grant St., which are in disrepair and cost $500,000 a year to maintain, officials said.
Moving to Manual would show the district’s commitment to the rejuvenated school and would bring roughly 300 new workers to the neighborhood that surrounds it, said Happy Haynes, special assistant to the superintendent for community partnerships.
Officials say they also are considering moves to North or West high schools. The school board will make the final decision.
Architectural plans have been drawn up only for Manual. Those blueprints were presented Tuesday to about 70 parents, community members and students at the Manual open house, which also discussed academic changes in store for the incoming ninth-graders.
The administration would take over an old gymnasium and parts of the school’s third floor.
Students and administrators would have separate entrances. A rooftop air conditioning system would be in place for the new administrative offices.
Administrators work through the summer and students do not, Haynes said. Providing air conditioning for such a large and old building would be extremely expensive, she said.
Principal Stein suggested people urge their legislators to roll back the CSAP tests so schools wouldn’t have to start so early in the summer.
But administrators’ points were dismissed by most in the sweltering first-floor room of the high school on Tuesday.
“You think this is hot,” said Merida. “You should be on the other floors. It’s ridiculous.”
Joe Mauro, who has volunteered at the school, said the thought of administrators providing themselves with cool conditions while leaving students without was unconscionable.
“My taxes are not intended for the comfort of people to push computer keys,” Mauro said. “My money is here to be spent for the children.”
“What you are doing has the potential to be great,” said Ted Travis, whose children graduated from Manual. “But it has to be just. I strongly urge you to fix that dichotomy.”
Staff writer Jeremy P. Meyer may be reached at 303-954-1367 or jpmeyer@denverpost.com.
