Ige signs cool-schools bill as session ends
CRAIG T. KOJIMA / CKOJIMA@STARADVERTISER.COM
Legislators and students from Kaelepulu School watched Thursday as Gov. David Ige signed a bill that provides funds for air conditioning and other energy efficiency measures to cool Hawaii’s classrooms.
The Department of Education on Thursday issued its first bid request for work to begin installing air conditioning in at least 1,000 public school classrooms — the same day Gov. David Ige signed legislation to fund the $100 million initiative.
“We’ve been working since Jan. 20, when the governor made his announcement, to be ready to execute when the funding became available to us,” said Dann Carlson, the DOE’s assistant superintendent for school facilities.
He said consultants have already analyzed the 33 schools deemed to be the hottest in the state, and have come up with design plans to begin cooling the classrooms in those schools. An estimated 969 classrooms in those schools will require air conditioning to bring their temperatures to comfortable levels, Carlson said.
FIRST ON THE LIST
The Department of Education has identified 33 schools on its priority list of schools most in need of heat abatement:
Ewa Beach Elementary
Ilima Intermediate
Campbell High
Kamaile Academy
Kaimiloa Elementary
Nimitz Elementary
Mokulele Elementary
Pearl Harbor-Kai Elementary
Lehua Elementary
Waimalu Elementary
Aliamanu Elementary
Aliamanu Middle
Waipahu High
Ewa Elementary
Barbers Point Elementary
Waipahu Intermediate
Pearl Harbor Elementary
August Ahrens Elementary
Waipahu Elementary
Waialua High & Intermediate
Leihoku Elementary
Honowai Elementary
Nanakuli Elementary
Nanakuli High & Intermediate
Kaunakakai Elementary
Kilohana Elementary
Manana Elementary
Princess Nahienaena Elementary
Lahaina Intermediate
Lihikai Elementary
Kekaha Elementary
Kahakai Elementary
Maui High
Source: Department of Education
“Now we just need to go out for bid. We couldn’t really go out for bid until we had the money,” he said. “With the $100 million we should be able to hit well over 1,000 classrooms. Not every classroom will necessarily have air conditioning, but we are attacking these priority schools with heat abatement.”
The work also will involve electrical upgrades to ensure schools can handle the increased loads as well as efforts to make schools more energy-efficient to help offset energy use. Amy Kunz, chief financial officer for the DOE, said the department — which has a $60 million annual utility budget — will be closely monitoring energy use at schools as air-conditioning projects come online.
Air conditioning is one part of the DOE’s heat abatement program, which also includes installing ceiling fans, solar-powered vents to draw out hot air, and heat-reflective roof systems. The department’s goal is for classroom temperatures to be at 76 degrees.
Of the 11,820 DOE classrooms across the state, roughly 4,400 have air conditioning. Forty-nine schools — or 19 percent of DOE schools — have at least 90 percent of their classrooms air-conditioned.
The DOE came under intense criticism last summer as temperatures climbed to record highs and teachers, students and parents complained about the sweltering conditions, which can make it hard to concentrate and even became a health hazard for some. The department last fall began deploying portable air conditioners as a temporary emergency fix.
In his State of the State speech in January, Ige pledged to cool 1,000 public school classrooms by the end of 2016. Lawmakers chose to fund the work using $100 million from the general treasury.
“I think we can all recall last summer … we had record temperatures in our schools. And we learned from our children and our teachers about the impossible conditions that existed in our public school classrooms,” Ige said Thursday at a bill signing ceremony for Senate Bill 3126. “It was a great rallying cry for all of us here in the Legislature about the fact that we needed to do something, that we could not in good conscience sit in the state Capitol without taking action.”
A number of legislators piled into the governor’s ceremonial room to help celebrate the accomplishment. Some cautioned DOE officials that they will be holding the department accountable for carrying out the work in the coming months.
“The heat and the temperatures in the classrooms really impact student learning, and now that we’ve committed $100 million — which is a large amount — it really is up to the Department of Education and the administration to make it work,” said Sylvia Luke (D, Punchbowl-Pauoa-Nuuanu), chairwoman of the House Finance Committee.
Michelle Kidani (D, West Maui-South Maui), chairwoman of the Senate Education Committee, added, “We look forward to the day that we have spent every damn penny of that to cool our schools and have a very good working environment for our students.”
Jill Tokuda (D, Kailua-Kaneohe), chairwoman of the Senate Ways and Means Committee, said, “As the parent of two little public school children, who come home with sweat pasted around their heads every day, that this is something that has been sorely needed. This is going to make a huge, huge difference in terms of the way our teachers can teach, in the way our students can learn.”
Corey Rosenlee, president of the Hawaii State Teachers Association, which helped shine a light on the issue, said, “I cannot begin to tell you the difference it makes for students. What it does is it allows them to focus on learning. Everyone’s able to focus on the lesson instead of this constant battle, where you’re just so focused on the heat that learning stops.”
23 responses to “Ige signs cool-schools bill as session ends”
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A New Day in Hawai’i begins when IGE resigns!!!
Question: What group of buildings has the largest collective of flat roof-top in the state? Answer: our schools. Question: Why isn’t every one of these roof-tops covered with photovoltaic panels? Bueller???
Coddled kids should go to private school.
Because you believe kids sitting for 7 hours a day in 90+ degree classroom is a good thing?
Do you have air conditioning in your car? Do you use it when it’s hot? If not, you are really cheap.
We never had air condition when I was in school and we all survived. Spending this kind of money is nuts.
Thank you Governor Ige and Legislatures!
That is an Insne amount of money to spend for only 1000 classrooms. WHY no talk about putting Solar on these buildings ?
Agreed. No costs for rewiring. No extra costs for electricity from HECO. Jobs for our ailing solar PV workforce. This is a no-brainer.
PV inverters could be used to meet other power demands on days when AC is not needed, reducing HECO bill even further and helping the State to get closer to its energy goals.
Estimated cost of installing AC at all DOE schools: $1.7 billion. Using our experience with cost overruns from rail, safe to say the final cost to aircon all classrooms will be between $2-3 billion.
Current electricity cost with aircon is $48 million. Notice how Ige willfully failed to say where the extra money is coming from to pay the power bill. Can you say higher taxes? Look for the state to drastically increase taxes to pay the bills.
Just another day in the Nei.
That’s debatable…
“The work also will involve electrical upgrades to ensure schools can handle the increased loads as well as efforts to make schools more energy-efficient to help offset energy use. Amy Kunz, chief financial officer for the DOE, said the department — which has a $60 million annual utility budget — will be closely monitoring energy use at schools as air-conditioning projects come online.
“Air conditioning is one part of the DOE’s heat abatement program, which also includes installing ceiling fans, solar-powered vents to draw out hot air, and heat-reflective roof systems. The department’s goal is for classroom temperatures to be at 76 degrees.”
I’m so glad that the schools on the east side are getting AC’s. It is so hot on the east side. On the windward and Honolulu side it is not as hot as that side of the island. I hope they don’t put AC on the windward side schools we don’t need it. I love working in the office with the windows open and the cool breeze and being able to see outside. A lot of the schools on the windward side got renovated and they put white jalousies and if they put AC no one will be able to see out or in and that would not be so good. Then they will have to put glass doors, when we have wooden doors with no windows.
Jill Tokuda (D, Kailua-Kaneohe), chairwoman of the Senate Ways and Means Committee, said, “As the parent of two little public school children, who come home with sweat pasted around their heads every day, that this is something that has been sorely needed.
You mean the sweat pasted around their heads stays with them when they come home ? That means they need to turn on the air conditioning in the car/bus that bring them home as well.
Great !! Now the schools can get ” Sick Building Syndrome ” ,, I hope they save 1/3 of the monies for servicing and maintenance…. boy the contractors will have a “field day ” with DOE ….
even more , HECO will smile from east to west when they billed DOE …
I’m all for cooling down classes during the hottest times of the year yet wonder if they’ll turn off the a/c’s during the pleasant times of the year? Without realizing it we’re turning the next generation into a bunch of wussies.
This is crazy state math. $100,000 per classroom is insane. You can put up a split system for less than $20,000.
Why this news out break?? The legislature funded this and not the governor. Ige this is not credit to you. Ige you are surely a loser.
How much are these A/C units? This is a ridiculous amount of money to spend on 1000 units. Is half of it going in the pockets of politicians and the other half paying for the actual A/Cs?
It has broader goals…
“The work also will involve electrical upgrades to ensure schools can handle the increased loads as well as efforts to make schools more energy-efficient to help offset energy use. Amy Kunz, chief financial officer for the DOE, said the department — which has a $60 million annual utility budget — will be closely monitoring energy use at schools as air-conditioning projects come online.
“Air conditioning is one part of the DOE’s heat abatement program, which also includes installing ceiling fans, solar-powered vents to draw out hot air, and heat-reflective roof systems. The department’s goal is for classroom temperatures to be at 76 degrees.”
Certainly a study should be done to see how long the savings from a $100 million worth of solar panels on schools would take to pay for ac in all schools.
Great news. And kids benefit. state has done good work.
This is great news for our children, however, EVERY SCHOOL should be rewired and equipped with the appropriate electrical generating options asap. This should have been done years ago.
Children cannot learn when the temperature is 90 F. thats for sure. Thanks to the Gov for leading the way.
Finally some taxpayer money well spent in my opinion.