California schools face record heatwaves; many lack working air conditioning. State leaders must fund CalSHAPE and HVAC upgrades to protect student health.
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Sacramento’s temperatures cracked 100 degrees 49 times in 2024 — more than twice as frequently as a normal year. It’s only March, and we’re already experiencing a potentially record-breaking heatwave.
For my high school in Folsom, extreme heat has meant making impossible choices about basic activities. My cross-country team had to decide whether to risk heat exhaustion at afternoon practice or wake up early for a 6 a.m. practice and run before school. We chose the early mornings, which meant that I woke up before dawn from August until October.
As temperatures increase with climate change, difficult decisions are becoming a new normal for California schools.
From our classrooms to our fields and playgrounds, California schools are woefully unequipped to meet our new climate reality. We need state and local leaders to take this problem seriously and make investments in climate resilient schools that can keep students and staff healthy.
I feel grateful that I get relief from the heat in my air-conditioned classroom, but many students across California aren’t as lucky. Research shows that 15% to 20% of California schools don’t have any air conditioning systems, and an additional 10% of heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems in our schools need significant repairs.
This is a huge problem in a warming world. Extreme heat is not just temporarily uncomfortable, studies have shown that it can reduce academic performance. Students already feel the pressure of grades and college applications, and dealing with schools ill-suited for the surrounding environment only adds another layer of stress.
Cooling systems in classrooms is not a controversial issue: A recent poll shows that 92% of Californians say the state should prioritize investments in air conditioning in California schools.
In 2020, California recognized that improved HVAC equipment in schools was a major need, and created the CalSHAPE program, which created a pot of money for school HVAC and plumbing upgrades. Unfortunately, last year, California lawmakers refused to distribute remaining funds, leaving an existing pot of $192 million unspent.
Given the scale of the need, failing to prioritize funding for school upgrades is unacceptable. The problem of extreme weather — like wildfire smoke and heat — will only continue to get worse. State leaders need to act quickly to release funds to school districts that need them and find a sustainable solution to fund the CalSHAPE Program.
K-12 schools should be safe and comfortable. With extreme weather on the rise, we need leaders to take action to make sure it’s not exhaustingly hot inside our schools and that the air is healthy for us to breathe on days when it’s smokey or smoggy.
Karthik Meyyappan is a freshman at Folsom High School who participates in the California Youth Climate Policy Leadership Program.
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