Los Angeles Unified cafeterias to be equipped with air conditioning

Los Angeles Unified will provide air conditioning systems to school cafeterias across the district after the school board approved a $30 million bond-funded program Tuesday. The update will reach up to 682 schools, with the goal of completing implementation at as many sites as possible before the start of the next school year.

Schools that will receive air conditioning were selected amid consideration of their heat zones, which are categorized based on how many school days a school hits temperatures above 86 degrees Fahrenheit. How many meals a school serves was also taken into consideration, according  to the district. Most of the upgrades will be in Region North.

“We all want improved safety, relief from oppressive heat, and decent working conditions for the workers who prepare and serve nutritious meals every day for our kids; cafeteria kitchen cooling upgrades does that,” board President Jackie Goldberg said in an LAUSD press release. “The public voted for Measure RR to tell us to invest in our schools and we’re getting it done responsibly and transparently.”