How local schools are trying to keep cool

Also: Family shelter frustration; what's next for the proposed rent control ballot question [Donate ❤️]( [View in Browser](  September 7, 2023 ☀️ Sunny, with a high near 93. Good Morning Boston, Mayor Michelle Wu just [declared a citywide heat emergency]( for today and tomorrow, with [the head index expected to reach into the high 90s](. It's the first day of school for tens of thousands of Boston Public School students. And despite the oppressive heat, BPS leaders say it should get off to a smoother start than [last year](. Fingers crossed. Here's a look at what's changed, by the numbers: - 3,800: That's the approximate number of air conditioning units that BPS has installed across the district. In total, over 100 schools now have central air or window AC units. That's [a big improvement compared to last year]( especially with temperatures this week. - 14: That's the number of BPS schools that still don't have any AC. Superintendent Mary Skipper said Wednesday that many of the district's aging buildings have electrical systems that are too old to support window AC units. To cool down classrooms, those schools were told to leave windows open overnight. And for today, the plan is lots of box fans, water bottles and limited time outdoors. Skipper said school leaders are "comfortable" they can get through the next few days, noting that next week's weather should be more "seasonable." WBUR's Emily Piper-Vallillo has [more on BPS's plan to beat the heat](. - 743: That's how many bus drivers BPS has on staff to start the year, with a few dozen more in training. After [only half of school buses were on time on the first day last year]( due a driver shortage and the Orange Line shutdown, the district is [now "fully staffed" with bus drivers](. In fact, Skipper says they have 100 more drivers than they have runs. - 350: That's how many additional teachers BPS has hired this year compared to the beginning of the 2022 school year. According to a back-to-school memo released last week, the total is up to 1,419 teachers with a 2.7% vacancy rate, compared to 5% last year. - Not all Massachusetts school districts feel as comfortable as BPS getting through the heat this week. WBUR's Carrie Jung [reports that some districts across the state — including the second- and third-largest — are letting kids out early]( before the temperatures peak this afternoon, because many of their schools [lack air conditioning](. - Worcester, Springfield, Chicopee, Framingham, Melrose, Reading and Westfield are among the districts planning early releases today — and, in some cases, tomorrow, too. - Meanwhile, Lowell Public Schools are full-on closing today and tomorrow. "The temperatures in many classrooms are expected to be too hot for teachers to teach effectively," the district said. - Thirty years later, Massachusetts could be poised for another statewide rent control battle. Attorney General Andrea Campbell certified the constitutionality of a proposed ballot question to repeal the state's ban on rent control, which was [first imposed via ballot measure in 1994](. It's a small but important step on the path to 2024. - What's next: Supporters now need to collect and submit over 74,000 signatures to state officials this fall — perhaps the biggest hurdle for many ballot initiatives. State Rep. Mike Connolly, who is leading the effort, says the ballot committee is "actively raising funds" for the effort, while talking with both campaign professionals and grassroots supporters. "We feel confident [the signature threshold] is well within our capacity," he said. - Meanwhile, opponents are mulling legal challenges to keep the question — which would also let municipalities regulate evictions and brokerage fees — from ever reaching the ballot. Both the Greater Boston Real Estate Board and the conservative Fiscal Alliance Foundation teased plans yesterday to appeal Campbell's decision to the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court. - Zoom out: The rent control initiative was just one of nearly three dozen potential ballot questions given the green light by Campbell. State House News Service [has a full roundup here](. P.S.— The [most recent episode]( of our podcast Endless Thread has been [getting attention from the likes of The New York Times]( for solving an enduring mystery: Who was behind the eerie cover of the classic sci-fi/fantasy novel "A Wrinkle in Time." Well, it endured at least until this past Friday. Listen to the episode [here.]( Nik DeCosta-Klipa Editor, Newsletters [Follow](  Support the news  The Rundown [Wu, Skipper go door-knocking to help get kids back in school]( The effort was part of an annual event to curb chronic absenteeism — defined aswhen students miss at least 18 days of school in an academic year. Missing that much school places students at risk of lower academic performance and dropping out. [Read more.]( [Wu, Skipper go door-knocking to help get kids back in school]( The effort was part of an annual event to curb chronic absenteeism — defined aswhen students miss at least 18 days of school in an academic year. Missing that much school places students at risk of lower academic performance and dropping out. [Read more.]( ['There wasn't any kind of warning': Towns frustrated over family shelter placements]( City and town officials say it's hard to ensure families' basic needs are met without coordination from the state. State officials counter they're doing their best, but the "fast moving nature of this emergency" makes it hard. [Read more.]( ['There wasn't any kind of warning': Towns frustrated over family shelter placements]( City and town officials say it's hard to ensure families' basic needs are met without coordination from the state. State officials counter they're doing their best, but the "fast moving nature of this emergency" makes it hard. [Read more.]( [Study: More patients traveled to Mass. for abortions after Supreme Court Dobbs ruling]( Massachusetts has seen a small but significant increase in people traveling to the state for an abortion since the Supreme Court allowed states to limit access to or ban the procedure. A study from the state’s largest abortion provider shows a 37.5% increase in the months after the Dobbs decision as compared to a year earlier. [Read more.]( [Study: More patients traveled to Mass. for abortions after Supreme Court Dobbs ruling]( Massachusetts has seen a small but significant increase in people traveling to the state for an abortion since the Supreme Court allowed states to limit access to or ban the procedure. A study from the state’s largest abortion provider shows a 37.5% increase in the months after the Dobbs decision as compared to a year earlier. [Read more.]( [Voting online is very risky. But hundreds of thousands of people are already doing it]( The advice from cybersecurity experts is unanimous: Internet voting is a bad idea. But it's already happening in every federal election. In 2020, more than 300,000 Americans cast ballots online. [Read more.]( [Voting online is very risky. But hundreds of thousands of people are already doing it]( The advice from cybersecurity experts is unanimous: Internet voting is a bad idea. But it's already happening in every federal election. In 2020, more than 300,000 Americans cast ballots online. [Read more.]( [USDA designates July flooding a disaster in Vermont, making farmers eligible for emergency loans]( Gov. Phil Scott says the U.S. Department of Agriculture has designated Vermont a natural disaster area from the catastrophic July flooding, making farms eligible for emergency federal loans. It's the second such declaration for Vermont this year. [Read more.]( [USDA designates July flooding a disaster in Vermont, making farmers eligible for emergency loans]( Gov. Phil Scott says the U.S. Department of Agriculture has designated Vermont a natural disaster area from the catastrophic July flooding, making farms eligible for emergency federal loans. It's the second such declaration for Vermont this year. [Read more.]( Anything Else? - The temperatures should cool down a little for activities this weekend. [Here are five things to do,]( including the annual Boston Arts Festival, the "Queer Met Gala" of Massachusetts and an interactive dance program along the Rose Kennedy Greenway. - What's the deal with that giant puppet you might see traveling through downtown Boston today? It's Little Amal. WBUR’s Solon Kelleher [reports that the larger-than-life puppet of a Syrian refugee child is kicking off its national tour]( Boston today, aiming to highlights the plight of displaced people around the world. - Sound on: Meet kei, [the Dorchester rapper making a name for herself]( a unique, aggressive sound that pushes against expectations. - Susan Senator [writes in this commentary]( that moving her 33-year-old autistic son into a group home took a huge leap of faith. But as she watched him score a run in a recent softball game, she realized that she's not the only one rooting for him.  What We're Reading 📚 - Parents, educators defend Lexington schools’ diversity curriculum after petition ([The Boston Globe]( - Project Veritas audit accuses ‘untouchable’ founder of improper spending ([Washington Post]( - What Were the Russians Doing in Chornobyl? ([The Atlantic](  Tell Me Something Good [How did those get there? Giant inflatable ducks return to Belfast Harbor in Maine for a third year (CNN)]( In what has become an unexpected annual tradition for a coastal city in Maine, gigantic inflatable ducks are once again floating in the harbor. And for the third year running, the mystery of how they got there has yet to be solved. [Read more.]( [How did those get there? Giant inflatable ducks return to Belfast Harbor in Maine for a third year (CNN)]( In what has become an unexpected annual tradition for a coastal city in Maine, gigantic inflatable ducks are once again floating in the harbor. And for the third year running, the mystery of how they got there has yet to be solved. [Read more.]( Listen: The Common [gets some budget-friendly Boston food recs]( from the up-and-coming local content creator Keonte Henson. Play: [WBUR's daily mini crossword.]( Can you keep your streak going? Before you go: The aquarium's [fluffiest new animal]( is ready for her debut. 😎 Forward to a friend. They can sign up [here](. 📣 Give us your feedback: newsletters@wbur.org 📧 Get more WBUR stories sent to your inbox. [Check out all of our newsletter offerings.]( Support the news   Want to change how you receive these emails? Stop getting this newsletter by [updating your preferences.](  I don't want to hear from WBUR anymore. Unsubscribe from all WBUR editorial newsletters [here](.  Interested in learning more about corporate sponsorship? [Click here.]( Copyright © 2023 WBUR-FM, All rights reserved.