Should Louisiana's children have air-conditioned school buses in sweltering heat?

Louisiana lawmakers are considering a bill that would require all public school buses be equipped with air-conditioning to transport children because of the state's sweltering temperatures that often top 100 degrees.

Senate Bill 26 by Democratic Baton Rouge Sen. Cleo Fields would require all buses to be air-conditioned to begin the 2025 school year.

"It affects every kid in the state," Fields said while presenting his bill to the Senate Finance Committee Thursday. "The heat in Louisiana we all know is unbearable and to mandate kids get on a bus with a heat index over 100 (degrees) to me is unconscionable."

Fields said he believes oppressive heat can hamper academic performance.

"If they get to school drenching wet (with sweat) I do think it affects their learning," he said.

Most school systems with system-owned buses as well as operator owners already are transitioning their fleets to air-conditioned buses, but it could take years before all buses are climate controlled, representatives from the Louisiana Association of School Superintendents said.

Executive director Michael Faulk said the biggest burden will fall on local owner operators and small school districts. Faulk said retrofitting a school bus with air-conditioning can cost $8,000 to $10,000.

Jackson Parish Superintendent David Claxton, who is also president of the Louisiana Association of School Superintendents, said the districts need more time to complete a transition to all climate-controlled fleets.

"I do like the bill, but we need funding to help," said Claxton, who said a new bus typically costs about $115,000. "I don't think (2025) is reasonable."

Finance Committee Chair Glen Womack, R-Harrisonburg, said the bill would create a burden on his home district in Catahoula Parish and the other rural parish school systems he represents.

"My concern for my district is where they're going to find the money to do it," Womack said. "Is there any plan to get them up to speed?"

Fields said there is federal grant funding available, noting a $17-million grant secured by East Baton Rouge for its fleet.

"I hate unfunded mandates, too," Fields said. "But at the end of the day sometimes they're necessary."

The committee agreed to voluntarily defer action on Fields' bill until he can return with possible amendments to lessen the cost burden on local school districts.

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Greg Hilburn covers state politics for the USA TODAY Network of Louisiana. Follow him on Twitter @GregHilburn1.

This article originally appeared on Shreveport Times: Should Louisiana require school buses be air-conditioned for children?