Students try to keep cool in hot classrooms

With a hypnotic hum, fans stir the warm air in a classroom at Mill Creek Elementary School. Children sip cool water from bottles and try to pay attention to their teacher.

With temperatures still in the 80s and 90s during the first few weeks of classes, schools with no air conditioning are stuffy, sticky, muggy — the perfect temperature for a nap.

"I get sleepy," said Alyssa Pham, 7, a second-grader in Marilyn Barrett's class at Mill Creek, 3761 S. 1100 East, in the Granite School District.

"I sweat so much that the sweat goes in my eyes. It's hard," said sixth-grader Arian Azamayandeh, 11. He is in Daniel Hilder's class at Mill Creek.

School leaders attempt to mitigate the problem by encouraging students to bring water bottles, supplying fans and simply opening doors and windows. But with the recent wildfire smoke, added to late-summer allergies, some students have suffered from itchy eyes and asthma problems.

"A lot of children are rubbing their eyes, but we need the air flow," said Mill Creek Principal Tina West.

Granite District is proposing a $256 million bond, of which $61 million would go toward installing air conditioning in 51 schools.

"Air conditioning is a real concern, especially when the temperature is high and we're having air-quality issues," said Granite District Superintendent Stephen Ronnenkamp.

In Granite District's community meetings during the past year, the big request was for air conditioning in the schools. The complaint was repeated in results of a recent Dan Jones poll the district commissioned.

Ronnenkamp agrees, saying overheated classrooms inhibit learning. "As competitive as we need to be in a global market, our kids need to have every opportunity they can," he said.

Granite's bond proposal, on the Nov. 3 ballot, wouldn't mean a tax increase for patrons. Funds currently being used on a pay-as-you go basis for school buildings would instead go for paying off bond debt.

Almost 90 percent of Murray School District's schools use a swamp cooler, while the rest have air conditioning. "There are always other places to put the money," said Murray District spokeswoman D. Wright. The district has been upgrading parking lots and heating systems, as well as working on energy efficiency.

All of Salt Lake School District schools have air conditioning except for Hillside Middle School, which is moving to a new building later this fall.