Air conditioning coming soon to 2 Fountain Valley schools as districtwide plan moves forward

The Fountain Valley School District will begin installing air conditioners and related upgrades at Courreges Elementary and Masuda Middle schools after students leave for summer vacation in June.

Administrators recently selected West Coast Air as the general contractor, with a maximum price of about $5.89 million for the Courreges project and about $5.19 million for Masuda, according to documents.

During the construction, which is expected to take 12 to 15 months, six portable classrooms will be installed at Courreges and eight at Masuda.

After recently obtaining approval from the state, administrators can move forward with a five-year plan to install or update heating, cooling and ventilation systems at the district’s seven elementary and three middle schools. Funding is through Measure O, a $63-million bond measure for school building improvements approved by local voters in 2016.

“With the extremely hot days we’re experiencing, our classrooms get to a point where they’re not comfortable to learn in,” Supt. Mark Johnson said.

Johnson said studies show that students are more academically successful in classes in well-maintained and comfortable environments.

“We know that comfort levels in classrooms are positively correlated with gains in attention span, engagement and achievement, and we are thrilled to be moving forward with the implementation of our construction program,” he said.

Teachers and parents take frozen treats to school for students when the weather gets particularly hot, said Christine Carrasco, president of the Fountain Valley Education Assn. She said some teachers try to beat the heat with spray bottles, portable air conditioners and cooling bandannas wrapped around students’ necks.

“Learning can’t happen when children are overheated and [teachers] are overheated,” Carrasco said. “I think the teachers are just relieved to know they’ll have air conditioning sometime in the near future.”

Three more Fountain Valley schools will get portable classrooms during construction next school year. The district’s remaining schools are slated for the work within five years.

DANIEL LANGHORNE is a contributor to Times Community News.

Twitter: @DanielLanghorne