Is Dist. 204 ready to cool down all its schools?

Indian Prairie Unit District 204 hopes to cool the debate over air conditioning in elementary schools with some stone-cold research.

Nineteen of the district's 21 elementary schools currently don't have air conditioning, causing an uproar among some parents and staff who say the heat in many classrooms during early fall and late spring is unsafe.

After a month of studying the issue, administrators will present their findings to the school board tonight outlining the extent of the problem and possible solutions.

The board meets at 7 p.m. at the Crouse Education Center, 780 Shoreline Drive, Aurora. It's not scheduled to take any formal action on the air-conditioning issue.

Valerie Dranias, president of the teachers union, said the lack of airflow in classrooms combined with students who are used to being in air-conditioned homes causes a difficult learning environment. Even when temperatures are mild outside, she said, the classrooms heat up quickly.

"The second floor in any of these buildings is absolutely unbearable," she said. "Kids are having trouble keeping up any excitement in learning. It's a problem and I'm happy the district is addressing it."

Owen and Peterson are the only two elementary schools that have air conditioning. Both were built within the past four years.

In the remaining buildings, classroom temperatures on some days at the beginning of the school year ranged from the 80s to 90s, according to a report Jay Strang, director of buildings and grounds, gave the school board in mid-September. Second-floor classrooms usually were three to five degrees warmer than first-floor rooms.

During those times, school officials used fans, kept their blinds closed, rotated students through air-conditioned areas and encouraged water breaks to beat the heat.

District officials have been looking into the effects of the heat and possible solutions ranging from retrofitting the buildings for air conditioning to starting school later in the year.

Strang's preliminary studies last month indicated that installing air-conditioning systems in all schools would cost about $21 million plus $300,000 a year in operating costs.

Critics have questioned whether air conditioning really is needed when heat is only a problem for a brief portion of the school year.

Some parents have suggested portable air conditioners, but the buildings' electrical systems are not designed to handle them, Strang said last month. He said such units likely wouldn't be strong enough to cool an entire classroom.

Strang said he will save his latest findings for tonight's meeting. He said he has spoken with neighboring districts and experts including HVAC specialists and environmental and mechanical engineers to explore a variety of options.

Other administrators are studying the frequency of student visits to the nurse's office and the feasibility of making changes to the school calendar, implementing split shifts or adjusting the ending time for classes.

Board member Jeannette Clark said she has not yet seen the research but feels heat has been a fairly significant problem in the schools.

"I think whenever you're in an uncomfortable environment it does impact the quality of education you're receiving and the ability to focus from the viewpoint of the staff and the kids," Clark said.