DENVER — It's back to school for students in Colorado's largest school district. But inside Denver Public Schools' (DPS) buildings, it's a tale of two temperatures: some cool, while others are very hot.
"We do the best we can. We have these loud brown swamp cooler fans at a couple of places in the hallway. They blow cool air, but they're sort of a blessing and a curse because they're really loud," said Taryn Rawson, principal at Goldrick Elementary School.
Rawson knows this time of the year can get sticky.
"It's really tough," Rawson said. "To then come to a workplace where it's really physically uncomfortable, too, is a bummer. And most importantly, we're worried about our kids. We want them to be excited to be back at school. We want them to be able to focus and do their best learning in the first few days. And that's a lot to ask of them when they're sweaty and tired and it's 94 degrees in their classroom."
At Goldrick Elementary, temperatures have hit over 100 degrees in the stairwells. Inside some classrooms, temperatures can reach the mid-90s.
Rawson said they'll move kids out of extremely hot classrooms and into other spaces when they can. Sometimes they'll dismiss kids early due to the heat.
It's not unusual to see kids with water bottles by their side and many opt for cool, breathable clothes on these warm days.
"I think about what clothes can I buy that look professional but allow as much breathability as possible. I always say if it was okay for a principal to wear a bikini, that's probably what I would wear. But that's not okay so I look on the rack for just the right kind of outfits," Rawson said. "I think about what kind of things can I keep in the fridge. Do I want to freeze a washcloth and put that on my neck after recess duty? And I know all my staff thinks about that, too. And it’s kind of a shame that’s a burden placed on some of our DPS educators when other DPS educators are just focused on learning names and meeting families and planning for these first few days.”
Goldrick Elementary School is one of 29 DPS schools without air conditioning. That's 21,000 students across the district trying to learn in the August heat.
Scott Pribble, director of external communications with DPS, said plans are underway to change that.
"The board last week approved a unanimous vote to put a bond initiative on the ballot for this November," Pribble said "If that is approved, the remaining 29 schools will all have air conditioning in a short amount of time after that."
In November, Denver voters will vote on a $975 million bond. Included in that is money to install air conditioning for the final 29 schools and it won't raise your taxes.
"Denver Public Schools is able to pay off portions of that debt every single year as part of our normal operating budget so we don't have to raise taxes in order for us to be able to do that," Pribble said.
With temps in the 90s expected for the next few days, Rawson is hoping voters will vote to keep schools cool for kids in the years to come.
"These students are just as brilliant and just as worthy," Rawson said. "Their futures are full of just as much promise and so they deserve facilities that are just as nice and just as well equipped to handle this hot Denver climate we have at the end of the summer."
"I am looking forward to that day. I can hardly wait," Pribble said.
If voters approve the measure, it could still take years to get air conditioning into those final 29 schools. Entire HVAC upgrades are needed in buildings and crews can only get 7 or 8 of those done at a time while students are gone over summer break.
Still, the district said they're committed to finding a way for all 207 schools to be air conditioned.
For more information on the bond proposal, visit DPS here.