The Goleta Education Foundation (GEF) has made a $15,000 donation toward cooling materials — including misting fans and pop-up shade structures — for schools across the Goleta Union School District (GUSD).
GUSD has committed to matching the effort with up to an additional $15,000, bringing the initiative’s combined funding to as much as $30,000.
The initiative is designed to help schools stay open and comfortable during periods of extreme heat, protecting instructional time and supporting the well-being of students and staff.
The Central Coast has historically had milder temperatures, so many GUSD campuses were not built with cooling infrastructure in mind, GEF officials said.
As heat events become more frequent, older buildings without adequate ventilation or air conditioning struggle to keep classrooms comfortable.
“Without intervention, schools are often forced to call minimum days or early dismissals, disrupting learning and placing additional strain on families. This donation equips schools with practical, immediate tools to keep students safe and in class,” officials said.
The effort reflects GEF’s broader mission, made possible through its collaboration with GUSD, organizers said. With GUSD’s matching commitment, the program can reach more schools this year than either organization could fund alone.
GEF serves a district where a student’s opportunities shouldn’t depend on their family’s income or on their school’s ability to fundraise on its own, the foundation said.
Across GUSD’s nine elementary schools, six receive Title I funding, three offer inclusive preschool programs, and 17% of students are Emerging Multilingual Learners.
The district’s approximately 3,200 students reflect a wide range of socioeconomic backgrounds and ethnicities.
“No student should lose instructional time because their classroom is too hot,” said Dan Oh, president of the Goleta Education Foundation.
“With GUSD stepping up alongside us, we can move quickly to get fans and shade structures into schools that need them most, keeping kids learning and healthy through the warmest days of the year,” he said.
“At the same time, GUSD continues to evaluate longer-term solutions, including air-conditioning, and explore funding opportunities to support future campus improvements,” said Bethany Sutherland, executive director of the Goleta Education Foundation.
“GEF welcomes the broader Goleta community to join this effort. A gift to GEF, rather than a fan or cooling item donated to a single school, lets resources go where the need is greatest across the district,” the foundation said.
Community members who would like to contribute to the cooling initiative can donate at goletaeducationfoundation.org/donate.
The Goleta Education Foundation: GEF is a community-supported nonprofit dedicated to enhancing educational experiences for the approximately 3,200 students across all nine
elementary schools in the Goleta Union School District.
Learn more at https://goletaeducationfoundation.org/team/