Summer is not only getting hotter each year but also longer. That means the back-to-school season is overlapping with extreme heat. The Albuquerque Teachers Federation is pushing lawmakers to modernize schools across the state to ensure safe learning environments for all students and staff.
The union recently voted unanimously to call on the legislature to install refrigerated air in classrooms. Right now, about 70% of APS schools work on evaporative cooler systems – called swamp coolers.
ATF Representative James Macklin testified ahead of the vote how these extreme temperatures are impacting working conditions.
"As somebody who two years ago had a class that had no A.C. for six weeks in a portable with 95-degree heat and ended up in the E.R., I very much support this," said Macklin.
Union President Ellen Bernstein said swamp coolers are inadequate as climate change brings hotter temperatures that impact student outcomes.
"Reduced concentration and focus, fatigue and drowsiness, lower attendance which is a huge issue in our state, and stress and anxiety. These are all things we can do something about if we can lower these hot classroom temperatures," said Bernstein.
Bernstein said that the union vote recognizes that modernization will be expensive and schools cannot shoulder the cost. APS alone has over 16 million square feet of facilities. The union will push lawmakers in the session starting in January for a one-time allocation to schools.
This coverage is made possible by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation and KUNM listeners.
