Officials scramble to cool sizzling schools

The Department of Education says it’s been buying dozens of portable air conditioners and deploying them to the hottest classrooms around the state as record high temperatures have underscored the need for relief from the heat.

Since the school year started in July, the state has purchased 145 portable air-conditioning units, which officials say typically cost about $500 apiece.

“As we get them, we’re deploying them,” department spokesman Brent Suyama told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser. “This is in response to the extraordinary weather situation we’ve faced this year. But these are temporary, immediate measures.”

Suyama didn’t have a list of where each unit has been sent but said Kaimiloa Elementary, Ilima Intermediate and Campbell High — all located in Ewa Beach — have received units and 10 portables have been sent to Maui. With units selling quickly at local retailers, the DOE is working to order portable air conditioners from the mainland.

“It takes at least two or three per classroom to get the temperature down,” he said. “We understand it’s been such an abnormal year when you look at the temperatures and we’re trying to improve the situation as widely as we can, as fast as we can.”

In the month of July, there were 20 days when temperatures reached 90 degrees or higher in Honolulu, according to the National Weather Service. In August, there were 19 days with temperatures above 90.

The department, which budgeted $48 million for electricity at schools this year, is anticipating a bigger electric bill with the added units.

“With the immediate measures, because of the weather and how super hot it has been, this is urgent,” said Amy Kunz, the department’s chief financial officer. “So while we will need to monitor the situation on the financial side, we just need to push through that. We have to cool down these classrooms.”

The DOE has come under intense public criticism as teachers, students and parents have complained about the sweltering conditions, which can make it hard to concentrate and have become a health hazard in some cases. One Ewa Beach Elementary teacher said she was treated at a hospital earlier this week for heat exhaustion and dehydration.

Community members, parents, legislators and even students have been donating to the cause by purchasing fans or fundraising to help pay for air conditioners.

State Sen. Jill Tokuda, chairwoman of the Senate Ways and Means Committee, called the current conditions unacceptable.

“It is a major concern for all policymakers, not just as representatives of our constituents but for many of us as parents and members of the community,” she said in an interview. “We do see the unacceptable situation that many of our students and teachers are having to go through.”

DOE officials have previously cited limited funding for not being able to complete more projects. An assistant superintendent told the Board of Education earlier this week that the department expected it would have only $2 million to $3 million to spend this year on air conditioning.

Tokuda (D, Kailua- Kaneohe), formerly chairwoman of the Senate Education Committee, said over the last two biennium budgets the Legislature has allocated more than $452 million in lump-sum capital improvement funds that could be used for air-conditioning projects.

“Right now they have the flexibility to prioritize heat-abatement projects, but it’s mixed in with a lot of other competing needs at the school level,” she said. “Perhaps we need to have them come in with a more specific lump-sum request for heat abatement instead of lumping it with other CIP (capital improvement projects). … The solution, I think, is not going to necessarily be a one-size-fits-all approach, but I’m really hoping we can come up with some immediate relief for schools while also looking at how we’re going to be very aggressive in terms of setting goals for bringing sustainable, long-term relief to schools.

“It’s about health and safety and making sure that students and faculty have optimal environments to learn and work in,” Tokuda said.

Less than 10 percent of department schools — 21 out of 256 schools statewide — have campuswide central air conditioning. The DOE has estimated that it would cost $1.7 billion to install central air in all schools, not accounting for increased utility costs. Some schools have seen their power bills more than double after installing air conditioning schoolwide.

Using “scientifically gathered campus temperatures,” the department has an air conditioning priority list that includes 20 schools. Six schools have moved off the list over the past decade. The Legislature has provided funding this year for the schools in the top three spots: Ewa Beach Elementary, Ilima Intermediate and Campbell High.

Kunz said Ewa Beach Elementary and Ilima are undergoing electrical upgrade projects before air conditioning can be installed. The department is also sending eight air-conditioned portables with 15 classrooms to Campbell. The structures were used as a temporary school during last year’s emergency lava evacuation on Hawaii island.

In the meantime, the DOE has been implementing various heat-abatement initiatives at schools, including installing ceiling fans, solar-powered vents to draw out hot air and heat-reflective roof systems.

The head of the teachers union has also turned up the heat on the issue, saying the DOE needs to consider alternatives, such as solar-powered air-conditioning systems, to get more classrooms air-conditioned at a lower cost. Corey Rosenlee, president of the Hawaii State Teachers Association, has said community groups and businesses are willing to help pay for infrastructure costs.

The DOE says because most schools are more than 50 years old, aging electrical systems will need to be overhauled to handle the extra load.

Suyama said the DOE has been engaging stakeholders and legislators to help tackle the issue. “It’s extremely hot this year; we fully acknowledge that, and are looking at all angles,” he said. “It’s definitely a high priority.”