CLEVELAND — A mayor's commission appointed to help plan the physical improvement of Cleveland's public schools saw this week what their task is all about.

        Leaky old windows at McKinley Elementary School caught the attention of Robert Gries, a commission member.

        “Come over here and feel this,” he said, his hand catching the breeze, then gesturing toward the students' desks. “I wouldn't want to be the kid sitting at this desk.”

        Across the hall in another classroom, three windows were propped open with books, bringing an icy wind through the room. The teacher said the classroom thermometer read 95 degrees when he arrived in the morning, and opening the windows was the only way to bring relief.

        “It's appalling,” Mr. Gries said.

        Mr. Gries and about 20 members of the new school Facilities Assessment Commission took a field trip to McKinley and two other schools Wednesday. The commission is led by businessman Gries and former federal Judge George White.

        The group will meet with building experts after the holidays and hold public hearings in January. A preliminary report on the state of Cleveland school buildings and recommendations on how to fix them is expected by the end of January.

        “Unbelievable” and “sad” were among comments from commission members as they walked through A.J. Rickoff Elementary, Mound Elementary and McKinley. The three schools, ranging in age from 78 to 96 years, aren't necessarily on the top of the list for repairs, but school officials picked the three as examples of the type of work needed throughout the school system.

        Leaky roofs, old windows and failing boilers seem to be the biggest problems, but there are other physical needs, too.

        Meryl Johnson, a Cleveland Teachers Union leader who serves on the committee, said she hopes that changes will come from this effort, even though she has served on similar committees that were ineffective.

        “I'm more hopeful,” she said.

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