Coronado families could be asked to approve a tax bond to pay for an estimated $40 million in air conditioning across the school district's buildings.

Superintendent Karl Mueller said the price tag likely puts the project beyond what the Coronado Unified School District (CUSD) can cover on its own. "With such a high price tag, most districts in California pay for big-ticket items such as this with a tax bond," Mueller said, according to the Coronado News CA.

The district formed the 2026-27 HVAC Exploratory Committee in September to tackle the problem. Mueller identified four barriers: insufficient electrical infrastructure, Division of the State Architect (DSA) requirements, limited funding and outdated energy management systems. The committee is expected to deliver its first report to the Board of Trustees in early 2027.

The committee's membership includes Mueller, Deputy Superintendent Donnie Salamanca, Trustees Renee Cavanaugh and Fitzhugh Lee, maintenance staff, technical experts, the Coronado Schools Foundation, local PTO chapters, Emerald Keepers and the City of Coronado. The district expected to finalize scope, membership and timelines by early October.

The work begins with a review of previous HVAC studies conducted in 2017, 2019 and 2021-2022, an inventory of current systems, energy baselines and an evaluation of solar power, as first reported by the Coronado Times.

Impact on students

Nine heat days had already forced shortened school days during the 2026-27 school year as of the week of Oct. 5, according to school board candidates Alexia Palacios-Peters and Malachy Sandie in their Oct. 7 candidate forum responses. That Monday, students were sent home at 12:30 p.m.

The problem is not abstract. At Coronado High School, the 500 Math building has air conditioning, but many classrooms do not. During a warm back-to-school night, teachers running portable air conditioners at one school site caused the building to lose power. The grid couldn't handle it.

Trustee Scot Youngblood said at the Sept. 10 board meeting, as reported by the Coronado Times, that energy costs would climb with districtwide air conditioning. The district spends roughly $600,000 a year on power through SDG&E, and Youngblood said that figure could top $1 million. He urged the committee to include solar energy pricing in its recommendations.

Funding picture

CUSD's transition to Basic Aid status is expected to bring an additional $10 million to $12 million per year starting in fall 2027. That new revenue will not cover the full $40 million cost. Mueller said placing a bond on the ballot would be a function of the governing board and would require a commitment from the entire Coronado community.

In 2016, the district formed the Committee to Analyze Student Learning Environments, which led to short-term fixes including split-system AC units in some classrooms, ventilation repairs and window coverings. The new committee is meant to move beyond those incremental steps.

The board updated its heat day release threshold in February 2025, voting 5-0 to lower the trigger from a heat index of 90 degrees to 87 degrees on consecutive days.

The next regular CUSD Board of Trustees meeting is scheduled for Thursday, Oct. 15, at 4 p.m. in the District Office Board Room.