The Swellesley Report

How hot is it in a Bates classroom when it is 80 degrees outside? How about after three days of 80 degrees? Do kids learn anything when it is that hot? 

Those are just some of the questions the Wellesley School Committee is hoping to answer with a $182,000 air conditioning study that is slated for Town Meeting this April. Article 18 will be discussed by the Advisory Committee on Feb. 26.

Of Wellesley’s eight schools, four do not have air conditioning in classrooms: Wellesley Middle School, and Fiske, Schofield and Bates elementary schools. 

“Four of our schools have fundamentally different learning environments on those warm days where that heat index can make the situation extremely uncomfortable,” Superintendent David Lussier said during discussion of the study at the School Committee’s Jan. 28 meeting. (see Wellesley Media video starting at 43:00). “The learning environment in our schools looms large in the success of our students.”

What’s Included in the Study?

The proposed feasibility study will research and present three options for cooling the four schools: full air conditioning, window units, and heat pumps, School Committee member Niki Ofenloch said. The analysis will look at all possibilities, including construction costs, schedules and how the work could be completed in phases at different schools.

The study also will include an energy analysis and sustainability. This will be an integrated approach that considers environmental impact at every stage of the project, Ofenloch said. For the full A/C and heat pump options, the study also will investigate using conventional power source or geothermal, she said.

‘Must have’ or ‘Nice to have’? 

The big question over the whole project is whether air conditioning is necessary. After all, school ends in mid-June before the real heat of summer begins. 

“We have received some questions about the need to better understand the urgency of this. Is this just a ‘nice to have’ or is it really a ‘must have’?” Lussier said.

In preliminary research for the School Committee, Ofenloch found that Wellesley has an average of 18 school days per year when the heat index is over 80 degrees. That amounts to nearly a month of school, she said.

“When we have hot days in a row and the nights don’t cool down, those classrooms don’t ever get to cool down overnight,” Fiske Principal Rachel McGregor told the School Committee. “If it’s two or three days in a row, we are really capturing all the heat in those rooms.”

McGregor was invited to the School Committee meeting to describe what it’s like at Fiske during hot days.

“You will see teachers using water bottles to mist the children. More visits to the nurse, complaining of heat and headaches,” McGregor said. “Students are trying to do their best. When you’re hot, you tend to be lethargic and you don’t have a lot of energy. Teachers are doing their best and trying to keep students engaged. 

At Fiske, the side of the building that faces the sun can be 10 degrees hotter than the other side, McGregor said. Opening windows just lets in more hot air, and teachers cannot prop open doors to get a cross-breeze due to security concerns. 

‘This is Unsafe’

We had no trouble finding a slew of parents and students in favor of the air conditioning study. 

“This is unsafe and a truly detrimental environment for our children,” said parent Lina Musayev, who has a 3rd grade daughter at Schofield and 7th grader at WMS. “We live in Wellesley–this is unacceptable that our children should not have A/C in the schools. It’s no longer a few uncomfortable days. It’s basically a month on each end of the school year. Because of climate change this is becoming the norm.”

Five people spoke in favor of the feasibility during public comment at the School Committee’s Jan. 28 meeting.

“I’m pleased to see that the School Committee is asking Town Meeting for funding for a feasibility study,” parent Trish Glass said. “Thank you for considering environmental impacts for the future of our town, our children and for the environment.”

Resident Katherine Guo also asked the School Committee to consider studying other sustainability options that could help cooling the schools, including a green roof or adding overhangs to the windows to prevent direct sunlight into the windows. She also urged the committee to consider the environmental impact of the refrigerant when selecting an air conditioning option. 

Two Wellesley High School seniors also spoke in favor of the feasibility study. Jolie Yu and Evelyn Kohnen urged the School Committee to ensure that the feasibility study considers the environmental impact of any new air conditioning systems. 

“The installation of any air conditioning without the consideration of their long-term greenhouse gas impact would be a severe mistake,” Yu told the School Committee. 

Didn’t We Just Renovate WMS?

As you may recall (or at least you noticed on your property tax bills), Wellesley voters approved a $12 million renovation of the middle school in 2020 along with a temporary increase in property taxes to pay for it. 

That project was supposed to give the building another 25 years of life by replacing the heating and ventilation systems and installing air conditioning in the auditorium. There were other classroom updates on the honey-do list. But, apparently, not A/C.

The three A/C-less elementary schools all had renovations about 10 years ago or more:

• Fiske was renovated in 2015-16
• Schofield was renovated in 2012-2017
• Bates was renovated in 2006-2008 

(See Hunnewell/Hardy schools project background) 

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