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Bringing help to heat-stricken schools: September 2024 heat wave

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An early September heat wave taught a harsh climate lesson inside aging Portland school buildings, as students and teachers sweltered in classrooms that lack air conditioning. Several public school districts are working to ease this periodic crisis with $50 million from PCEF over the next five years
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In May, the Portland City Council approved a PCEF plan to distribute $50 million to seven local school districts. The effort, part of PCEF’s Climate Friendly Public Schools program, will make some city schools more energy efficient and more livable in the face of climate change events such as intense heat waves. Portland temperatures peaked at over 100 degrees on September 5 and 6, proving the need for this investment.   

Many schools in Portland sent children home due to high classroom temperatures. Some schools reported moving students away from the south sides of buildings or into cafeterias in search of cooler air. Parkrose School District sent elementary students home at 12:15 p.m. on Sept. 5, because none of its elementary schools have air conditioning. Temperatures inside some Parkrose elementary classrooms late Wednesday reached 85 degrees, even before the higher temperatures predicted for the end of the week.  

“Our Middle School and High School have modern HVAC systems for indoor cooling. However, our elementary schools on average are more than 60+ years old and lack modern HVAC systems,” Parkrose Superintendent Michael Lopes Serrao wrote Wednesday in a message to the Parkrose community about the heat wave. “Our district is working with potential funding sources and the introduction of Portland Clean Energy Funds to begin the process of helping our schools be more climate resilient.”  

Portland has about 70,000 K-12 students attending public schools that are operated by seven districts. The city recognizes that decarbonizing school buildings, transitioning to cleaner transportation, and using school land for tree planting present significant opportunities to reduce greenhouse gas emissions while promoting a better learning environment with more comfortable temperatures. Through the investment, these efforts are projected to cut school-related emissions by up to 24,000 metric tons of CO2. 

The $50 million investment was targeted to schools where a high percentage of students receive free and reduced lunch. Each district is selecting projects that best serve each school’s needs; PCEF staff will review them to make sure they meet the plan’s goals. The initiative also provides funding for student-led climate projects. 

The current PCEF school allocations are: 

  • Centennial School District: $4,692,500
  • David Douglas School District: $12,036,146 
  • Multnomah Educational Service District: $3,420,729 
  • Parkrose School District: $5,729,479 
  • Portland Public Schools: $19,930,833 
  • Reynolds School District: $ 4,040,313 
  • Riverdale School District: $150,000 

Read more about Strategic Program 16: Climate Friendly Schools

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