Agenda Item
F.-3 26-0914 A presentation to the Facilities Committee by Chief Systems and Services Officer, or Designee, on Air Quality and Thermal Comfort Plan Implementation Progress Update following Matters:
· Background and context,
· Progress since Facilities Committee Presentation on April 16, 2026,
· Ongoing Efforts and What We're Learning, and
· Fall 2026 Priorities.
In May, leadership promised heat safety procedures over the summer. That deadline was quietly pushed into the school year without explanation. Who delayed these safety protocols? Did leadership evaluate the risks of entering extreme heat unprepared? Classrooms will reach the 80s and 90s. Will teachers recognize heat exhaustion? Do staff know who to evacuate to cooling rooms? Pushing administrative deadlines doesn't delay the weather. We need mandatory heat protocols now.
Electrical capacity is named repeatedly in this presentation as a constraint — sites needing assessments, facilities lacking the capacity to support the pilot systems, and a stated need for major electrical upgrades before modern HVAC is possible. But I find no cost estimate for that work anywhere in the deck, and no funding source identified.
What is the projected districtwide cost of the electrical upgrades required to support the cooling strategies described here, and is that cost inside the current Measure Y allocation, planned for a future draw, or currently unfunded?
This matters because the expansion timeline runs through 2027 and beyond. If the electrical work is funded, that timeline is a plan. If it isn't, it's an intention, and families should know which one they're being asked to wait for.
We need electrical assessments at every school site, now, and we need site-specific electrical data to be made public. The OUSD facilities office has spent YEARS using electricity as an excuse not to make necessary upgrades across this district. This has to end.
The Cool the Schools parent group wants to be a partner. We don't expect perfection, but we expect progress, and HONESTY AND TRANSPARENCY about how much progress is being made. We can count windows, and are very confused about the contradictory numbers cited in this report. We want to understand which schools are being targeted for what. We're tired of glossy powerpoints that take the place of clear statements about what's working (clings in many places) and what isn't (we understand some windows can't use them). SAY THAT. We stand ready to support, and ready to help solve problems and close gaps, but we need real information, presented honestly, in order to do that.
Our kids brains deserve better.