A Local 888 resolution that was adopted at the 2016 membership convention on calling on the state and municipalities to “Fix Massachusetts Schools Now!,” anticipated a City of Boston report that more than half of Boston’s schools are plagued by poor or deficient air quality, which studies have linked to low student achievement and high rates of asthma.

The report’s findings, released on March 2, are based on an examination of schools’ ventilation systems or the lack of them, and other factors that can affect air quality, including the inability to open windows.

Local 888 members at the Boston Public Schools’ Planning & Engineering Dept. take great pride in their work, but are frustrated by bureaucratic and budget constraints that impede their jobs. They will be looking at creative ways to proactively bring Boston Schools into compliance with state and federal standards.