SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — Teachers at McKinley Elementary School in North Park say their classrooms have been unbearably hot for months, and they argue that the San Diego Unified School District is not moving fast enough to address the problem.
For nearly 10 weeks, Kindergarten teacher Frances Mackenzie said she has asked the district to repair the school’s outdated air conditioning system, which dates back to 1997.
Mackenzie said she has 24 kindergartners in her class. Still, many students and staff members in nine different classrooms are also enduring the same miserable heat, which are connected or adjacent to hers.
“We have headaches. We’ve had students with bloody noses, and by the end of the day, you are fatigued, you are exhausted,” Mackenzie said. “Every day, multiple staff, over 100 students walk into classrooms that are not properly ventilated. We’re fed up. It’s unacceptable.”
Mackenzie said the principal of McKinley Elementary told her a maintenance request was submitted back in July, but the repair still has not been completed.
The District confirmed this, saying a work order for the HVAC unit servicing the kindergarten classrooms was created on 8/8/25. A new compressor has been sourced and will be craned onto the roof, then retrofitted on site this Thursday while students are off campus for their minimum day.
However, in that period of time lasting months, the district supplied portable AC units, which Mackenzie said leak, require duct tape to hold together, and must be drained and emptied by some teachers daily.
“On a warmer day, it’s reached up to 86 and 87 degrees, which impedes our ability to focus and concentrate,” Mackenzie said.
Union leaders say this is part of a larger problem in the district.
Last September, ABC 10News was at Garfield Elementary when it faced complaints from parents after students fell ill due to overheated classrooms without functioning air conditioning.
“There’s no sense of urgency at all. It is not a priority; these AC systems have been broken for years, and the district is not taking it seriously,” Janell Small, a teacher at McKinley and a representative with the San Diego Education Association, said.
Small said the union filed a grievance over the lack of AC, but it was denied.
"So we did file a grievance with the district and everyone got denied, and they still have no air conditioning, but it shows that the district resolved their issues," Small said, adding that she hopes the district will give a more definitive plan and timeline for resolving the issue.
"These are the classrooms that house the 3-year-olds, the 4-year-olds, and the special education students," Small said.
In an email statement, the Facilities Manager of San Diego Unified confirmed that a grievance was filed, and the district addressed it through the standard labor relations process, which includes meeting with the union to clarify any information and review the repair timeline.
Small believes this issue is just isolated to McKinley Elementary, but is a bigger issue in the district as other schools are reporting to the union having the same problems.
The District response is that it has thousands of HVAC units and systems, and it must prioritize repairs by addressing the most urgent, critical needs first.
The District went on to explain that between 2013 and 2019, all San Diego Unified schools were fully air-conditioned as part of a major “heat relief” initiative.
However, COVID-19 protocols, including high-density filters and increased air circulation, put a strain on the school's HVAC systems.
When it comes to handling HVAC issues, the District stated that after receiving work orders, its maintenance crew triages them based on their impact and whether they affect an entire building or a single classroom. While waiting for parts, they'll issue temporary measures, such as portable units or relocating students to different areas.
The District stated that McKinley Elementary had two HVAC unit problems: one in the admin/auditorium unit and another in the classroom unit. They said the classroom unit needs a compressor, and for that to be installed, they've ordered a crane to come in on Thursday. The District expects the system to be fully operational by Monday.
The statement in part reads:
"At McKinley, two separate HVAC units were reported to have issues over the last several months, one unit that serves the admin area and auditorium, and another that serves several classrooms. The admin/auditorium unit has now been repaired, however the unit serving the few classrooms requires a new compressor, which has been ordered and will be installed this week once it arrives. Repairs require a crane and have been coordinated with the site to take place on Thursday, when students are not on campus. We anticipate the unit to be fully operational by Monday of next week."
Parents and teachers are expected to raise their concerns on Tuesday night during public comment at the district’s board meeting.
