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On Wednesday, State Senator James Maroney (D-Milford) joined Milford Public Schools leaders including Superintendent of Schools Dr. Anna Cutaia, Assistant Superintendent of Business and Operations Sean Brennan, Director of Facilities Patrick Bradbury and Joseph A. Foran High School Principal Max Berkowitz at Foran High School to discuss significant state funding that will lead to HVAC and air quality improvements in the school.
Earlier this month, the state Department of Administrative Services announced a round of $122 million in released funds in the second round of the state’s Indoor Air Quality Grants Program, which was created by legislators in 2022 to invest in air quality improvements in schools statewide, benefitting school community health and education. In that allocation, Milford Public Schools received just under $360,000; approximately $299,000 will go toward the replacement of heating and cooling system components at Joseph A. Foran High School, with another $60,000 supporting equipment replacements at the Academy in Milford.
“Providing local schools with opportunities and support to improve their heating, cooling and air filtration equipment means we can provide students and staff with cleaner and healthier environments for education,” said Sen. Maroney. “It’s rewarding to know that this program continues to pay dividends in supporting local schools and supporting improved ventilation and I’m excited to see these improvements make a real difference in years to come.”
“We are grateful to Senator Maroney and the contingent of legislators in Hartford for awarding the funding from the Indoor Air Quality Grant to the Milford Public Schools,” said Superintendent Cutaia. “We operate 14 schools in Milford, but it’s hard to believe that our ‘newest’ one was built 50 years ago. While we do an amazing job keeping our buildings in good shape, it’s no secret it comes with great cost. Receiving this grant will certainly help us — and the taxpayers of Milford — as we continue to keep our infrastructure upgrades on track.”
Milford’s allocations cover parts of the work needed; Milford will conduct just under $800,000 of total replacement of heating and cooling systems. School leaders applied to receive the funding in 2023.
The Indoor Air Quality Grants Program is funded with state bonding and federal Coronavirus State Fiscal Recovery Funds, with a total of $244 million available to schools statewide. |
