OUSD can cool classrooms by next school year without using its general fund at all. Instead, it can use the funds it raised through Measure Y bond (see the next question). OUSD also plans to apply for the California Extreme Heat Community Resilience Program (EHCRP) grant, which would only add more resources towards solving this problem.
By law, the $735 million in Measure Y bonds can only be used to repair, upgrade, expand and retrofit existing school buildings. Oakland property owners are paying for these bonds each year (and will pay for them through 2050) through a parcel tax.
Instead of funding additional assessments, analysis, or consultative work that won't impact students for many years, OUSD could use these funds to make a difference to students learning in schools TODAY!
This issue is not only about investment in our facilities, it's about investment in our students. We estimate OUSD could make a noticeable impact to achieve safe classroom temperatures by spending approximately $3,000 per classroom. If there are 30 children learning in a classroom per year, that's a cost of $100 per student. Schools need safe spaces to learn here and now!
We are advocating that OUSD take immediate action to prevent further learning loss and unhealthy and unsafe conditions. The immediate actions proposed are possible to complete at scale before next school year's warmest temperatures. These immediate actions will also make buildings more efficient, which will save on energy costs that could be reinvested into projects to improve building systems in schools. These improvements make the "building envelope" more efficient, which helps reduce the size of HVAC needed and offset energy use once it's installed. This is true in both summer and winter (for heating and cooling)!
OUSD must also assess how to provide additional cooling (and more consistent heating in the winter) across the district. This long-term goal does not compete with the push for immediate action.
The great news is that much of the investments recommended (like UV window clings, improved blinds and curtains, and more consistent operation of windows at night to flush hot air out of classrooms) do not need electricity. This means that these can be implemented at schools without any electrical upgrades needed. Better yet, these improvements make the "building envelope" more efficient, which helps reduce the size of HVAC needed and offset energy use once it's installed. This is true in both summer and winter (for heating and cooling)!
Additionally, we recommend schools perform research to confirm what the district states to be true about the electrical capacity of schools. Sequoia Elementary was told that there was not enough electricity to add portable A/C units. Yet, after an electrician looked more deeply at how the load was distributed between circuits, the school was able to add 14 additional portable units, using 1-2 for every classroom and 1 in the office.