About 2,100 Oakland classrooms have no district-provided cooling. That's 75% of the classrooms in Oakland. Through August, September, October and May they sit in the 80s and 90s.
Students and teachers report headaches, nausea and more conflict on hot days. In the week of March 16, 2026 alone, several students went to hospital with heat-related emergencies.
Teachers buy fans out of their own pockets. Blinds are broken and work orders go unanswered. This has been a problem for years, accepted as the status quo. We don't need to accept this any longer.
Student cognitive performance rises by about 20% when a classroom goes from 86°F down to 68°F.
Harvard Center on the Developing Child, 2024
Without air conditioning, every 1°F hotter school year costs 1% of that year’s learning.
American Economic Association
Hot school days two, three and even four years before a test still show up in lower scores.
Hot school days account for roughly 5% of the racial achievement gap on their own.
Parents, teachers and students have said this for years — in public comment, in petitions with hundreds of signatures, and in legally filed complaints.
Donations are handled by the Oakland Public Education Fund, a registered 501(c)(3).
