EDITORIAL TOO LOUD TO LEARN LAUSD DROPS BALL ON AIR CONDITIONING DECISION.

WHEN the $2.4 billion Proposition BB passed, the Los Angeles Unified School District promised to fix up every school in the district and provide long-overdue air conditioning in every school.

In their typical fashion, district officials ignored common sense and good advice to bypass superior air-conditioning methods of central air or rooftop units. Instead, they installed noisy wall units outside windows, creating classrooms with noise levels that rival the local mall.

District officials knew about the alternatives. They knew that the wall units were noisier, less efficient and had a much shorter shelf life than other methods of air-conditioning classrooms. And when they were faced with widespread complaints, they wrapped the units with sound-deadening material that shortened their lives even more.

In its rush to prove that the LAUSD was air-conditioning classrooms as promised, the district spent nearly $400 million to install these noisy units.

Now LAUSD officials find themselves fighting on the side of the air-conditioning industry to block implementation of a proposed 35-decibel noise limit for classrooms.

Air conditioners at LAUSD schools are supposed to operate at up to 50 decibels, but a recent survey of 157 units indicated that 24 percent exceeded the district's selmposed standard and are as loud as 61 decibels.

The proposed guideline, which eventually could become part of school building codes, would limit classroom noise levels to the equivalent of a quiet living room - about one-fifth the noise level many classrooms have today when air conditioners are running.

The evidence of the district's wanton disregard for the well-being of students and teachers is massive. One contractor hired to work on two schools said the model of air conditioners the district asked him to install was not designed for mounting outside windows and the problem was compounded by inappropriate specifications and drawings that did not reflect real conditions.

This resulted in all of the air conditioners installed by this contractor testing above the 50-decibel line.

It's what we come to expect from LAUSD. Instead of putting children and learning ahead of quick action, the bureaucrats do what they want.

And instead of righting a wrong, the district now is fighting for the status quo. So what if children can't hear to learn?

LAUSD officials should reconsider their air-conditioning program. They should consider what is best for children sitting in the classroom before they fight to continue installing units that create an environment that is not conducive to learning.