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Students and teachers will return to George Mason Elementary School for the upcoming school year after the Richmond School Board opted Monday night for short-term fixes to what is widely considered the worst building in the district.

The board approved a recommendation from interim Superintendent Thomas Kranz’s administration to complete repairs and clean up the building before students return to the Church Hill school on Sept. 5. In addition to the repairs, the division will conduct monthly air quality tests to “ensure safety,” Kranz said.

The board also directed Kranz to revisit the district’s comprehensive facilities plan approved by the former School Board and present an updated version, prioritizing a new building for Mason, in October. Mason is nearly a century old and was last renovated in 1980.

“I don’t think it’s acceptable to send students back to George Mason, but I do think we’ve missed our opportunity this year to do the best option, whatever that option might be,” said Cindy Menz-Erb, the 3rd District representative.

The school system will spend $105,000 to fix the air conditioning and clean and repaint the bathrooms, Kranz said. The short-term fix won’t change what administrators, teachers and parents say is the preferred solution: a new building.