Californians have rightly been focused on the continuing drought conditions that plague the state but the heat wave that has enveloped Southern California has created another dilemma for public school officials: how to keep their employees and students cool.
After Culver City voted to pass a $106 million dollar school facilities bond initiative last November, much of the focus was on repairing the Robert Frost Auditorium and revamping the Culver City High School athletic facilities.
But now the discussion has turned to when and how school representatives are going to keep their buildings cool during an omnipresent heat wave that makes it seem like an extended summer with record-breaking temperatures. And how high a priority and how soon new air conditioning units should be installed in Culver City schools has become grist for the mill in the school board campaign.
The topic came up at the League of Women Voters forum earlier this month, but the cost of installing the units, purportedly as high as $40 million— a substantial chunk of the bond funds— was barely touched upon.
Culver City Unified School District Supt. David LaRose said he realizes how important it is for the district to maintaining the necessary conditions conducive to learning and that includes students and teachers not suffering from the heat wave without the respite of cool classrooms.
“We have commissioned a district-wide audit of our present classroom and common area environments in order to review our current cooling systems and to inform our discussion of HVAC options and the associated costs, in terms of both one-time and ongoing operational expenses,” LaRose told the News.
The district’s electrical capacity will also be reviewed.
CCUSD Board President Nancy Goldberg said it is imperative that the district find a solution for overheated classrooms. Students uncomfortable with high temperatures can find it harder to concentrate on their studies, she said.
“Students need this as much as they need to have water fountains and restrooms that work. It can really affect their performance in the classroom,” said Goldberg, a former Culver City High School teacher.
Some short-term measures have been implemented, LaRose said, which were outlined in a recent letter that he sent to the families of student enrolled in the district.
“Our maintenance, transportation and food services teams have adjusted their work and extended their days to deliver ice chests with water bottles, put together/deliver fans and find creative solutions to install portable AC units in classrooms and offices throughout the district,” the superintendent wrote. “Over 130 units have been ordered and rapid installation is underway and will continue this evening and throughout the weekend.”
School sites are sharing air conditioned spaces, according to the school district.
School districts are also looking for solutions for schools where students suffer from poor air quality, which can be exacerbated by the intense heat. The Los Angeles Unified School District recently teamed up with the South Coast Air Quality District and a nonprofit organization Legacy LA to install an air filtration system at Murchison Street Elementary School in Boyle Heights.
“Too many of our region’s children are breathing unhealthy air because they live in communities that are disproportionately impacted by air pollution,” said William A. Burke, Ed.D, the chairman of the air quality board.