Officials from the Tempe Union High School District took the witness stand Friday morning in an effort to obtain roughly $17 million in emergency funds to prevent further mold and air quality problems at Corona del Sol High School.

Tempe battles school's air quality woes

In an administrative law court hearing in Phoenix , the district appealed the Arizona School Facility Board’s previous rejection of Tempe Union’s request for the money.

The appeal is the latest attempt by the district in a yearlong battle to get emergency funding from the state board to replace an aging ventilation system at Corona del Sol.

Staff and students have complained about mold and poor air quality for years, but those complaints have risen sharply in the past two years, said Diane Meulemans, chief financial officer for the district.

Some students have said it causes headaches and breathing problems.

The school facility board, however, maintains that while the air quality at the school is a problem, it’s not an emergency.

Corona del Sol principal Susan Edwards said she believes the issue needs urgent attention.

“This is all about air quality for us. It’s a huge issue. All of our faculty, students and staff know this is a problem and it needs to be taken care of right away,” she said.

The district has already removed mold from the school, but officials say the mold is the symptom — not the cause. The school has leaking ceiling tiles and condensation from air conditioning running down the walls that officials say causes the mold.

Tempe Union has threatened to join a lawsuit brought by other Arizona districts against the school facilities board if the district doesn’t get the emergency money for Corona del Sol.

Thursday night, the Tempe City Council wrote a letter of support on behalf of the school district. But Judge Lewis Kowal refused to consider the letter, saying it was irrelevant to the case.

The judge said he would make his decision within 20 calendar days. http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/story/107397