The Long Beach Unified School District (LBUSD) is continuing its improvement and modernization efforts of its school’s air conditioning systems, but is looking at different strategies to address heat mitigation in the meantime.
“We saw the weather last year, and we all knew how difficult it was to even do our daily jobs. To ask our students to perform in these kinds of temperatures is unfair,” board member Erik Miller said.
During a facilities update presentation to the board on July 26, Executive Director of Facilities Development and Planning David Miranda said that following last year’s heatwave, the facilities team conducted an analysis of electrical loads that revealed the electric systems of LBUSD campuses are near or over capacity.
“We first [need to] embark on an electrical upgrade because we can’t even install the HVAC units or the things that come with it unless we first have more electrical capacity,” Miranda said.
LBUSD’s Public Information Office Assistant Director Evelyn Somoza said these projects are anticipated to cost between $20 million and $70 million depending on the size of the school.
Since the HVAC repairs cannot be done any sooner than established in the updated timeline, the facilities team has begun incorporating other heat mitigation measures including:
- Chilled water dispensers
- Classroom and hallway fans
- Classroom window coverings
- Main entry window tinting
Miranda said that the maintenance team will continue to explore other options.
He added that shade structures are another opportunity to provide “cool zones” for campuses that have not received renovations yet.
“We’re not content. We’re not satisfied with just that list of heat mitigation strategies.”
Executive Director of Facilities Development and Planning David Miranda
In November 2022, the district’s timeline for facility renovations was updated to prioritize Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) projects.
Thanks to the allocation of $72.5 million in state-matching funds and as a response to the increasing frequency of extremely hot weather, HVAC projects across the district were pushed one to two years forward.
Despite the shortened timeline, repairs will be completed over the course of the next four years—except for Long Beach Polytechnic High School whose air conditioning will be completed as a part of a multi-year, major campus renovation through 2028, according to LBUSD Public Information Office Assistant Director Evelyn Somoza.
Somoza said these projects are anticipated to cost between $20 million and $70 million depending on the size of the school.
Board member Maria Isabel Lopez advocated for the potential installation of portable, battery-operated AC units, which Miranda said the facilities team would look into.
“Just keeping in mind that temperature impacts student outcomes … I think our students or teachers or parents would be very happy if we can make that happen,” Lopez said.
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