THOUSAND OAKS : Cool Schools Would Cost $6.8 Million

A new report estimates it would cost about $6.8 million to provide air conditioning to those schools in the Thousand Oaks area that have no appliances to beat the heat.

Of the 26 schools in the Conejo Valley Unified School District, 12 are fully air-conditioned, 12 have partial air conditioning and two have no air-conditioned buildings. Officials estimate it would cost $450,000 to install air conditioning in each elementary school, $650,000 for each intermediate school and $1.5 million for each high school. The total estimated cost of air conditioning the school system amounts to $6.8 million.

Although some air-conditioning projects have been recently completed using various means of funding, officials say restrictions on developer fees, reduction in lottery income and insufficient general fund monies will make it difficult to perform additional work.

District officials have recommended that board members set aside $25,000 a year for air conditioning on their annual redevelopment project list submitted to the city of Thousand Oaks. The district should also continue to actively explore other means of funding, officials said.