The Pitfalls of the Portables: Maintain Better Quality Control for Portables

Sonia Wang and Senna Kahf | 62 Views

Portables on campus have varying levels of quality control — although some teachers have reported little issues, other teachers such as business teacher Katherine Dillon have had to deal with issues such as malfunctioning ACs. “My air conditioning wasn’t working for the first two or three weeks, and it was reaching temperatures in the classroom of 87 degrees when we had students in the classroom,” Dillon said. “I had to go teach in the Learning Commons two times when it got unbearable.”

Ever since the start of the 2023-24 school year, students have had classrooms outside of the main buildings: the portables. Placed on the blacktop where outdoor sport courts formerly resided, the portables were added to accommodate the school’s growing population growth of over 350 students compared to the 2022-23 school year, according to Principal John Pehrson.

Issues are being raised by teachers and students concerning the conditions affecting the learning environment in the temporary classrooms. The district should ensure better quality control of the portable classrooms so there are not any maintenance issues that affect learning.

With this being her first year in the portables, business teacher Katherine Dillon said she has observed a multitude of issues regarding the state of her classroom that has affected the learning environment in her classroom.

“There’s a lot of nails left in the walls from previous teachers,” Dillon said. “The outlets are coming off the wall, the ceiling tiles are falling down and not correctly installed. The lights flicker and they don’t always all turn on. The AC is very loud and I can’t talk over it, and I can’t hear students over it.”

Dillon also reported carbon dioxide levels of as high as 1,900 parts per million in the portables, which are levels correlated with issues of poor air and sleepiness according to the Wisconsin Department of Health Services. These issues have not only affected teachers, but the learning experience for students with classes in portables such as senior Aisha Saeed.

“Some of [the portables] are too cold, and then some of them are too hot,” Saeed said. “I remember [in] my English portable last year, the smell was not good.”

Despite these concerns, some may believe that the district should not invest in maintaining the portables because they are temporary classrooms that will eventually be taken down. Additionally, some of the portables are owned by the state according to Pehrson, making them more complicated to maintain since the district does not own them.

Certain teachers even prefer the location and size of the portables, such as English teacher, assistant basketball coach and assistant girls’ flag football coach Desmond Hamilton, who has been teaching in the portables for two years.

“After the building is built, I’m not even sure I would want to go to the building, because I really do like the space,” Hamilton said. “I think it’s really conducive to how I like to teach, and the space works really well for students.”

However, teachers and students deserve an exemplary learning environment, temporary or not. Pehrson has said that the portables will remain on campus for around five more years, meaning that they will remain even after the new building is completed to accommodate the projected growth of the school. Even if certain portables will be more complicated to maintain because they are not owned by the district, steps should still be taken to ensure that the portables are just as conducive to learning as the classrooms in buildings.

Regardless of how long the portables will stay on campus, it is important for them to be just as high-quality as the classrooms in the main buildings so that teachers and students can thrive in an environment that will help, not hinder, learning.

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About the Contributors

Sonia Wang, Features Editor

Sonia Wang is the Features Editor and a Business Manager for her third and final year on the Portola Pilot. This year, she plans to utilize her skills to make as much money for the Pilot as possible. When she’s not chasing down interview sources or trying to find advertisers, you can find her reading a good fantasy book, journaling or trying to take a much-needed nap.

Senna Kahf, Staff Writer

Senna Kahf is a staff writer for her first year on the Portola Pilot. This year, she’s looking forward to telling the unique stories of Portola High students and staff. When she’s not obsessively checking her Notion page for homework, you can find her reading a mystery novel, sending long voice messages to her friends or online shopping.

Mia Jong, Co-Managing Editor

Mia Jong is the Co-Managing Editor for her third and final year on the Portola Pilot. She loves to create, whether it be with a paintbrush and canvas or a pen and paper, and she can’t wait to make more memories with her fellow Pilot members. In her free time, you can find her penny-boarding at the park, attempting to learn Korean or debunking the “best Yelp-reviewed eats.” She believes everyone has a unique story to tell and hopes to give a voice to the Portola High community through her writing.