9/2/15

Dear Superintendent Mataoshi,

Our school Mililani High School needs to have air conditioning units in our
classrooms. AC is important for us as students to focus in class and work
efficiently. Mililani is hot; therefore our classrooms are hot and muggy. We need to
have AC units to cool and dehumidify the classroom. The heat and humidity makes
us distracted as we become uncomfortable and focus on fidgeting in our desks
rather than focusing on class work. This makes our grades fall as we do not know
what is happening in class at all times.
I understand that the AC units would cost a lot of money to buy and install
into every classroom. The units would also take up electricity to run and would
most likely be on at all times. To address these problems, we could fundraise for the
monetary costs for the units. The fundraising would cover buying the units and
possibly installing the units. If the amount of money raised cannot cover installation
fees, then students at our school can install the units into the widows. Electricity
can be paid off by installing solar panels on the roof tops at the school. The roofs
are flat and mostly empty so they provide room for solar panels. The cost needed
for those would need to be provided by the DOE which is mostly why this letter is
being written.
A solar system can cost between $600 and $12,000 with an extra $300 for
each extra panel. Each building would need their own systems to run without the
need to ground wires between buildings which means it would cost between $2,400
and $84,000 for the solar systems in 5 buildings and 2 sets of portables. The cost
of an AC unit that is installed is around $200 each, with instillation. There are
around 132 facilities which would cost around $26,400 for all classrooms to have
one AC unit.
It may seem that the cost for cool and dehumidified rooms would be higher
than the amount of people who appreciate it. However, almost all students and
teachers here either complain or try to solve the problem themselves. Most
complain, but some put up fans that can cool a small area of the classroom. To cool
the full classroom, they need multiple fans running at once, draining the power.
With an AC unit, there would only need one to cool the whole room. AC units would
also be quieter and less of an annoyance by not blowing papers off of desks.
Overall, I ask of you to accept the proposal to install AC units in at least most
of the classrooms that need it and solar panel systems to power it. We need to
focus on the things taught in class rather than the heat or weather. With AC units
we can cool of the issue and continue on with a brighter future.