Round one of the government’s $500 million ‘Cooler Classrooms’ program will include North Wagga Public School, South Wagga Public School, Wagga Wagga High School and Wagga Wagga Public School.   

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian announced the grants on Monday, covering about 900 other schools across the state.

“We’re thrilled to be delivering on our commitment to provide healthy learning environments in which our students and teachers can thrive, no matter the weather,” Ms Berejiklian said.

“From Tumbarumba to Mullumbimby, Bathurst South to Cecil Hills, students and teachers around NSW will benefit from new air conditioning in their school.”

Wagga MP Joe McGirr welcomed the new spending as studies had suggested that the Riverina would face longer and hotter summers in the future. 

“We have got definite evidence on the effect of climate change on summer starting earlier and finishing later,” he said.

“We are seeing that in terms of an increase in heatwaves and we are seeing increased temperatures.”

The NSW government has also changed its policy so that areas that have an average maximum January temperature of 30 degrees or more will now automatically receive air conditioning in their classrooms and libraries, while all other schools can apply for funding under the Cooler Classrooms Fund on a needs basis.

Previously only schools with an average maximum January temperature of 33 degrees or more were air conditioned.

Dr McGirr said the changes made sense.

“I think it is difficult for students to concentrate in (33 degree heat), and it’s not only the height of the temperature but the length of time,” he said.

“We are increasingly seeing prolonged elevation of temperatures during heatwaves and classrooms get hot and they don’t cool off.”

Earlier this year, a Fairfax Media analysis of data from the NSW education department suggested that three of Wagga’s larger schools did not have enough ‘air cooled permanent classrooms’ for every student.

Wagga Labor candidate Dan Hayes said the government had appeared to have had a change of heart following a campaign from the opposition.

“This is something that they were against,” he said. 

“They have found change on the road to Damascus and have basically adopted a policy that Labor has been calling for.”

A second round of applications for air conditioning will open in the new year.

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