Antonio José Mesa, spokesperson for the Popular Party in Getafe, announced during the municipal plenary session his firm commitment to ensure all classrooms in the municipality's public schools are equipped with air conditioning systems. This proposal arises, he noted, due to the local government's perceived inaction on this matter in recent years.
Mesa recalled that the Law on Bases of Local Regimes grants municipalities responsibilities for the conservation and maintenance of public educational centers. In this regard, he emphasized that «municipalities are responsible for the conservation, maintenance, and oversight of public centers for Early Childhood Education, Primary Education, and Special Education».
The popular representative argued that these responsibilities also include adopting measures to ensure adequate conditions in classrooms during periods of high temperatures. «If the City Council is responsible for roofs, windows, installations, boilers, enclosures, and the maintenance of the centers, it must also undertake the necessary actions to guarantee adequate conditions against the heat», he stated.
During his speech, Mesa accused the mayor, Sara Hernández, of evading this municipal responsibility. «What the mayor is doing is trying to shift to the Community of Madrid a responsibility that she has been unwilling to assume for over 11 years». He added that «Sara Hernández intends to turn a municipal management problem into a permanent political battle against the regional Government, as she always does».
As an example, the popular leader cited the case of Torrejón de Ardoz, whose City Council plans to allocate seven million euros to the air conditioning of its public school classrooms. «Why can the mayor of Torrejón and not the mayor of Getafe?», Mesa wondered.
The PP spokesperson estimated the necessary investment for this action in Getafe at around eight million euros. «This initiative in Getafe would represent an investment of 8 million euros. There are no excuses, it is their responsibility and they have the money to do it, they manage a budget of 200 million euros. What is lacking here is political will from the mayor», he concluded.
