How we got here

Students and teachers alike have been raising the alarm that their classrooms are too hot for years… by some counts, at least a decade. After years of inaction from OUSD, parents at Sequoia Elementary decided to use $6,000 of their own funding to install and insulate donated portable A/Cs and window film that reflected heat. It lowered classroom temperatures between 3-8 degrees. Word spread, and soon the Cool the Schools movement formed, bringing together many schools that had been previously dealing with this issue alone. 

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What we did

We did some research, and found that the district had $8 Million in Facilities Bonds (Measure Y) designated for heat resolution, but no plan on how to spend it or timeline for when they would start work. Knowing we had resources available, we decided to act to ensure that students didn’t have to wait for action to be taken. 

In the 25-26 school year, Cool the Schools partnered with Director Patrice Berry to bring forth resolution (insert info) that (insert details from reso). We built a coalition with supporters from all 7 OUSD districts and over 50 schools (out of 80 total) represented to support this resolution. 

The resolution passed! This means OUSD is now immediately taking action. Stay up to date on their progress here.

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Why we still exist:

Immediate fundraising is needed. Because bond funds cannot be used for immediate, DIY efforts (like those we proved work at Sequoia), we are here to fill the gap to ensure students can have a safe classrooms today.