First day of school delayed for three buildings

While most of the Rio Rancho Public Schools district started off the 30th year of school Tuesday, three buildings saw the start of school delayed.

The school year for Ernest Stapleton Elementary, Enchanted Hills Elementary and Mountain View Middle School has been delayed to Wednesday, Aug. 7, due to HVAC issues.

"Last week, the Rio Rancho Facilities Department was informed of air conditioning problems affecting several schools in the district. The issue involves a communications system breakdown between the units and the controls and in some cases part replacement for some of the units. Despite our diligent efforts to resolve the problem, we need an additional day to complete the necessary repairs at your school. We believe this delay is the best option to ensure the building is cool and instruction is uninterrupted, especially considering that the weather forecast for tomorrow is nearing 100°F," a district letter to parents, sent Monday, reads.

The before- and after-school SAFE programs are slated to begin Wednesday at the two affected elementary schools as well.