ALBUQUERQUE, NM – A new school year has begun for Albuquerque students, but the school district is still struggling with the same old problem: hot classrooms.

KOB 4 has heard from teachers, parents and students that many Albuquerque public schools have buildings and classrooms without functioning cooling systems.

Teachers we spoke to on Wednesday say it is almost impossible to work and learn under such conditions.

We have heard from people at seven different APS schools so far that the cooling units are not working.

APS has not confirmed how many schools are having problems or how many HVAC systems are being worked on. But students and parents at Petroglyph Elementary say there is a problem there.

“Yeah, being in the classroom was pretty tough because I was sweating a lot,” said Kyle Bailey, a fifth-grader.

“They really need to get the air conditioning and replacement coolers running so everything can be in order before school,” said Matthew Pratt, a parent.

We get calls about this issue every year, and every year we ask what we can do to keep teachers, staff and students comfortable and protected from the heat.

Ellen Bernstein of the Albuquerque Teachers Federation attributes this in part to aging infrastructure and the fact that many schools use evaporative coolers.

Even if a system works properly, it can only reduce the heat by 15 to 20 degrees. On days when it’s 32 degrees, it’s still very uncomfortable.

“Classroom conditions are learning conditions. We need to make sure we can modernize our school buildings so that we all feel comfortable in all seasons. That really helps with learning, it’s really important,” Bernstein said.

Bernstein says the Albuquerque Teachers Union is committed to ensuring cooling issues are not overlooked, so she is asking teachers to address these issues.

Albuquerque Public Schools has invested millions in recent years to upgrade their HVAC systems. Bernstein confirms this, saying there have actually been fewer complaints this year than in previous years.

The recently approved APS Mill Levy will also help fund some of those HVAC replacements and repairs. But that’s not much relief for the students and teachers currently stuck in hot classrooms.

Some schools have been fighting against functioning cooling systems for years.