Kealing Middle School is working to restore full air-conditioning capacity after a chiller failed and a separate pump problem began limiting the temporary system’s performance, according to a notice sent to families by Principal Timothy Estes. The school first reported cooling problems Sept. 17, when staff noticed that the building’s air-conditioning system was not adequately lowering temperatures. Austin ISD Facilities Maintenance inspected the system and determined that one of the campus chillers had stopped working. A temporary chiller was installed that evening. By the afternoon of Sept. 22, the building had again become humid. A follow-up inspection found that a pump serving the chilled-water loop connected to the temporary chiller was not moving enough cooled water through the system. Although the replacement chiller was operating, the pump problem was preventing it from working at peak capacity. Facilities Maintenance planned to install a new pump Sept. 23. School officials said they would continue monitoring indoor temperatures and provide families with updates. Estes also pointed to Austin ISD’s 2022 bond-funded phased modernization project, saying the work is intended to address many of the campus’s infrastructure concerns as systems are upgraded. The cooling problems come as schools across Central Texas continue to contend with the demands placed on aging air-conditioning infrastructure during warm weather. For students and staff, reliable cooling is a basic health and learning need, particularly in classrooms where humidity and high temperatures can quickly affect comfort and concentration.