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Lake teachers tell West Contra Costa Unified board more than 20 schools lack cooling, urge settlement to avoid strike
Summary
Three Lake teachers urged the West Contra Costa Unified board to address classroom heat and poor ventilation at roughly 20 district schools, pressed for contract language on maximum classroom temperatures, and said district messaging has unfairly blamed teachers for student harm.
Three teachers who spoke during public comment at the West Contra Costa Unified Citizens Bond Oversight Committee meeting on Dec. 4 said the district must act quickly to fix hot, poorly ventilated classrooms and settle outstanding contract negotiations that could lead to a strike.
"There are over 20 schools in this district that still do not have air conditioning or airflow in their classrooms," said Christina Veronian, a fourth- and fifth-grade teacher at Lake. She asked the board to revisit contract language establishing a maximum classroom temperature and criticized ParentSquare messaging that, she said, portrayed teachers as harming students if a strike proceeded.
"The teachers are not the ones doing the harm to the students. We care for the students every single day," Veronian said, adding that teachers have spent nine months in bargaining sessions with the district.
Canon, who said he has taught at Lake for 27 years, thanked trustees for the new building at his site but warned that facility upgrades do not remove the need for smaller class sizes, stronger special-education support and higher pay to stabilize staffing. "Putting students first means investing in the people who teach and support them every day," he said.
Another commenter, who identified himself only as Mark, welcomed the new facility and urged the district to expand cooling and ventilation more broadly. "There are 20 schools in our district, mostly in the cities of Richmond and the city of San Pablo, that did not have air conditioning or adequate air ventilation for our students," he said, adding that extreme heat can force students out of classrooms and hamper learning.
Speakers urged the board to consider funding options beyond the district's current capital plan, including partnerships with local government and private funders, and to address immigration status barriers for international educators who provide instruction at some sites.
The meeting record shows these concerns were raised during the public comment period; no formal board action or vote on the temperature policy or bargaining items was recorded at the meeting. The committee proceeded to its scheduled oversight business, including updates on CBOC reports and the bond program website.
