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Houston Independent School District wants to spend $3 million more to "renovate" Key Middle School. Our concern is that a moldy school needs more than renovation - it needs remediation. Renovation merely stirs up the mold colonies, microscopic fungal fragments, hyphae & spores, and bacteria, which must be cleaned and removed.
IS THIS ANOTHER $3 MILLION BOTCHUP AND FIASCO? WHEN WILL THEY FOLLOW RECOMMENDATIONS OF DAMP/MOLDY BUILDING EXPERTS THAT THEY DO HAVE ACCESS TO? (SMH)
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HISD to spend $3 million more on Key Middle School
http://www.khou.com/news/local/stories/khou080514_tj_keymidleschool.fe9705b9.html
01:19 AM CDT on Thursday, May 15, 2008
KHOU.com staff report
HOUSTON -- On Wednesday, the Houston school board approved a plan that will ensure that troubled Key Middle School will remain open. It’s a proposal first reported last week by 11 News that called for $3 million to finish repairs to the school.
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That money is on top of the $3 million already spent to renovate the school after teachers and a handful of students said mold problems made them ill.
The new renovation work will include new windows for the campus and the replacement of one of the school’s air conditioning units.
There had been some consternation that HISD was considering shutting the school down after complaints about the mold problems persisted after the first round of renovations.
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What will happen to Houston's Key Middle School
http://www.khou.com/news/local/stories/khou080512_jj_keymiddleschool.f40c69b6.html
02:04 PM CDT on Tuesday, May 13, 2008
By Wendell Edwards / 11 News
HOUSTON— Key Middle School is at the center of a crisis.
Debating the school's future
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More Video Officials are debating to either close the school or renovate the building.
“They should fix it. It’s a landmark. This school has been here for years,” said Ronald Simpson. His child goes to the school.
“Close it because they are covering it what they were supposed to have done, but they didn’t do anything really,” said Tosha Moore.
Closing the school was an option, at least until Monday.
That’s when 11 News made several phone calls, started asking questions and eventually discovered that Superintendent Dr. Abe Saavedra has agreed to make repairs.
It’s reported that Dr. Saavedra has promised to use bond money to renovate the school.
At least, that’s what trustee Carol Mims Galloway says Saavedra told her earlier Monday.
“He’s listening to the community and the parents as well as myself and he’s in support of us having the funds to fix the problem,” she said.
HISD’s spokesperson, Terry Abbott, says that the bond program repairs at Key Middle School were approved by voters in August 2007.
Still, some people were hoping for a new school.
Administrators closed it for most of the school year after teachers and students complained the building was making people sick.
“Our concern is will the condition of the building ever be good enough for the community. We have to make that decision,” said HPD spokesperson Terry Abbott.
A decision, that 11 News is told, has already been made.
Making future of Key Middle, for now, a little more certain.
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Superintendent Wants Key To Remain Open
POSTED: 4:36 pm CDT May 13, 2008
HOUSTON -- A northeast Houston school should remain open and undergo more renovations despite lingering concerns from parents and the community, according to HISD Superintendent Abelardo Saavedra, KPRC Local 2, Your Education Station, reported Tuesday.
Key Middle School, located at 4000 Kelley St., was closed in September after several staff members and students complained of respiratory problems.
Critics claimed the school was filled with dangerous toxins, but a report by safety experts found that there were no unusual levels of mold inside the building.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention inspected the school and said that damp building syndrome might be the problem after finding "isolated" microbial growth.
Saavedra will recommend to the school board on Wednesday that Key stay open and up to $3 million in renovations be expedited to get the building in top condition. The money would come from an $805 million school bond, and pay for new windows throughout the school and a new 315-ton chiller unit for the air conditioning system.
While classes for Key students were held at nearby Fleming Middle School for six months, crews completed $3 million worth of renovations, including new ceiling tile and replacing the old air conditioning system.
Students returned to Key on March 26, after Spring Break.
Previous Stories:
May 9, 2008: HISD To Consider Closing Key Permanently
March 28, 2008: Pastors Make 16 Requests For Key Middle School
March 26, 2008: Students Return To Key Despite Concerns
March 12, 2008: Concerned Parents Tour Key Middle School
March 10, 2008: HISD To Reopen Key Middle School
November 5, 2007: Congresswoman Wants Key Middle School Closed Permanently
October 19, 2007: CDC Finds Mold At Key Middle School
October 12, 2007: Protest Dwindles Outside Key Middle School
October 10, 2007: Walkout Canceled At Middle School
October 10, 2007: Community Leaders Plan Protest At Key Middle School
September 28, 2007: CDC Finds Issues At Key Middle School
September 26, 2007: Middle Schools Merge While Campus Tested
September 21, 2007: Key Students, Staff Relocated To Fleming
September 21, 2007: Key MS Has History Of Humidity Problems
September 20, 2007: Key Middle School To Temporarily Close
September 19, 2007: Congresswoman Wants Everyone Out Of Key MS
September 15, 2007: Students: Mold At School Made Us Sick
September 12, 2007: More Teachers Sickened At Key Middle School
September 10, 2007: 2 Teachers Sickened At Key Middle School
If you have a story idea that impacts students or schools, KPRC Local 2 wants to hear from you. E-mail us at
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May 13, 2008, 3:04PM
Key avoids closure, despite health complaints
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/headline/metro/5775693.html
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By JENNIFER RADCLIFFE
Copyright 2008 Houston Chronicle
Key Middle School will remain open, Superintendent Abelardo Saavedra announced today.
The Houston Independent School District is no longer considering an unpopular proposal that would have moved Key students to nearby Kashmere High School. Instead, the district will complete the $5 million worth of work that's slated for Key Middle School under the bond that voters approved last November.
The work, which is expected to be approved by the school board on Wednesday, will include new windows and air conditioning units, officials said.
School Trustee Carol Mims Galloway said she's glad Saavedra is listening to the community, which turned out in force at last week's school board meeting to complain about the school's current condition and to oppose the plan to move students to Kashmere.
"This is what the superintendent should do — work with the community and the parents because they are the customers," she said.
Key Middle School was shut for several months this school year after numerous teachers complained of feeling sick. A report issued by the U.S.Centers for Disease Control determined that the campus may have "damp building syndrome" and isolated microbial growth.
Even after HISD spent $3 million trying to clean and repair the school, educators still reported problems at the campus — prompting Saavedra to question whether the students should be permanently relocated.
"Key can be saved," Galloway said. "It's a simple fix. I don't know why all these persons who are supposed to have expertise in the area couldn't figure it out."
Houston Federation of Teachers president Gayle Fallon said the school will be fine once new windows and air conditioning units are installed.
"We want them to fix it. That's the bottom line," she said. "They've wasted $3 million in taxpayer money. They need to take these last two steps, instead they painted it and scrubbed it."
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Copyright 2008 by Click2Houston.com.
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