The phrase “too cool for school” is quickly becoming outdated (if it wasn’t already). As our climate warms, Santa Barbara Unified schools are facing a new reality: being too hot for school — literally.
When classrooms are uncomfortably hot, students struggle to focus, and their health can be at risk. After California’s hottest summer on record, the Santa Barbara Teachers Association posted images on social media of classroom thermostats reaching nearly 100°F.
“When it’s too hot, learning suffers,” the September post read, urging the school district to develop a plan to address rising temperatures.
In 2022, the district called its first-ever “minimum day” due to extreme heat. Teachers are pushing for expanded heat day guidelines and other measures, like shaded areas, green roofs, cooling centers, and white-painted asphalt.
They also want to see the district upgrade A/C systems when retrofitting outdated infrastructure in schools, many of which were built in the 1960s or earlier.
That said, the district is already trying to beat the heat, including currently installing air conditioning in more classrooms at Santa Barbara High. But upgrading the old campus, which is celebrating its 100th year, is a difficult and costly process.
Air conditioning for these 20 or so classrooms comes with a $3.2 million price tag.
Historically, Santa Barbara’s mild climate — and lack of extreme heat — meant A/C wasn’t necessary, and many buildings, like those at the high school, were built without it.
But the school’s original radiators, installed in the 1960s, have failed in three buildings. Instead of taking the cheaper route of simply replacing them, the district is installing these new air conditioning systems using available bond funds, said Operations Coordinator Desmond Ho.
All units had to go on the roofs; they wouldn’t fit in the closets the bygone heaters occupied. That meant the district had to update the buildings’ electrical systems, in addition to replacing ancient ducts from the ’60s — thus the cost.
Teachers also resent the district’s aging infrastructure, with some using their own money to buy A/C units for their classrooms — only to be told that they were drawing too much power, overloading the circuits and tripping the breakers.
Instead, the district has provided teachers with fans and tinted windows to cool down classrooms while they work on A/C upgrades.
Looking ahead, the district is updating its Facilities Master Plan, seeking input from staff and families, to map out future upgrades. In the short term, it’s continuing to seek funding, including a recent $6 million CalSHAPE grant to add A/C at five more schools, prioritizing younger students who are more vulnerable to extreme heat.
“Installing AC is going to be very different for every single school,” Ho said, adding that the older the school, the more expensive it will be due to various potential problems, including the need to install ducting and test for asbestos and lead. “The cost just goes through the roof.”
A bill proposed by state legislators this year — the Climate Resilient Schools Act — would have allowed California school districts to access federal funding for upgrading facilities to combat climate change consequences, including extreme heat.
However, Governor Gavin Newsom vetoed the bill, blaming the fiscal impact and noting that such a thing “should be considered as part of the annual budget process.”
