A Charged Removal of Teachers' Appliances

Everyday appliances in classrooms have come in handy for teachers and students for years. Whether it’s perking a teacher up with a cup of warm coffee or giving students a place to refrigerate their lunches, teachers’ appliances were a simple solution to a simple problem.

CRCSD’s revised energy conservation policy is putting an end to this. As of Jan. 1, 2022, teachers are no longer allowed to keep microwaves, coffee makers or mini-fridges in their classrooms. The policy also specifies fish tanks, box fans, space heaters, toasters, hot plates, cup warmers, popcorn poppers and aroma devices as other banned appliances.

The news came as a shock to many teachers, who received the news on May 26, 2021 in an email about building updates. Access to personal appliances was something most teachers took for granted. Tearing that expectation away only denies them another source of respite from the stresses of the workday.

One avid user of classroom appliances was math teacher Kathryn Hrubes, who kept a microwave and mini-fridge in her classroom. She used both during her lunch break.

“Right now, I bring frozen dinners for lunch. I’ll probably just bring sandwiches from now on,” Hrubes said. “I like to heat up my coffee—it’s kind of a nice perk to have a microwave in here. And so, I don’t know what I’ll do there, because no thermos could keep coffee warm all day.”

The solution proposed by the school district lies in new common spaces spread throughout schools. These spaces are outfitted with full-size fridges, microwaves and coffee makers for any teacher to use. Common areas are now the only places staff can access these appliances.

Each school’s administration was responsible for finding new spaces for teachers on a district-provided budget. Kennedy has two new spaces so far: one in the lower IMC and one in themain office, plus the original lounge on the first floor.

The three spaces available are all located on the first floor close to the center of the building, leaving teachers on the south end and second floor of the school without nearby appliances. Kennedy administration has struggled to find suitable spots for more common areas.

“Our big problem with this building, as you may notice, is that we don’t have a whole lot of just empty space. There’s not a lot of empty classrooms in this building because we’re pretty full,” said Principal Jason Kline.

Though no place has been chosen, Kennedy administration has focused on searching for a south end common area location. Without one close by, south end teachers may have to store their lunches far from their classrooms, shaving precious time off already-short lunch breaks. Without quick access to basic appliances, teachers could be forced to abandon using them entirely.

Common space savings have one big asterisk attached to them: setup costs. The two refrigrators purchased for the main office and IMC are three-door stainless steel Samsung fridges which cost $1,799.99 each. The microwaves cost $179.99 each, and the coffee makers were $149.99. Overall, the cost of Kennedy’s new shared appliances surpassed $4,250, excluding shipping.

Both Hrubes and Collin Hollander, social studies teacher at Kennedy, questioned the energy advantage of removing classroom coffee makers and microwaves.

“I understand the fridges because those are constantly using power,” Hollander said. “Keurigs I don’t understand because … it only pulls power when it’s turned on, so when it’s not on, it’s not using any electricity.”

Does consolidating microwaves in a building actually save energy? No. The same amount of energy is used overall. Energy is only saved when teachers stop using microwaves altogether.

A mini-fridge can use anywhere from 50 to 100 watts (W) per hour. The average cost of energy in residential Iowan areas is 14.59 cents/kWh, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. The cost of running one mini-fridge for a year in Cedar Rapids lies between $63.90 and $127.81 (using 438 and 876 kW of power respectively). An average 75 W mini-fridge draws 657 kW in a year, totaling $95.86. Consolidating fridge usage is understandable, if inconvenient for teachers.

On the other hand, microwaves and coffee makers draw much less energy. An average 1200 W microwave, used for five minutes every day, costs a grand total of $10.43 per year for 71.54 kW of power. An 800 W coffee maker, also run five minutes per day for a year, costs just $4.83 for 33.09 kW.

Some districts, like Iowa’s Keokuk Community School District, allow teachers to pay a fee to use appliances in their classrooms, according to Mississippi Valley Publishing. Keokuk teachers must pay $10 per month to use a mini-fridge, $12 for a space heater and $3 for a coffee pot or microwave. Teachers in the CRCSD have no such option.

“I think that it is a small thing that is a nice perk for teachers and to take it away seems to me like there’s not an appreciation for teachers and their schedules,” Hrubes said. “We can’t make phone calls during the day like other professions. … We have to be in the room with the students, and it’s difficult to even go to the bathroom during a class period. So, this one little thing we could put in our room to make our day a little brighter is now being taken away.”

Most of Hrubes’ frustration stemmed from the lack of replacements. There isn’t an ideal alternative for something like a nearby microwave, even if one is provided in the school building. Passing time simply isn’t long enough for teachers to use the shared microwaves to heat up coffee between classes. Another amenity standard for most professionals is now off-limits for teachers.

“People out in the ‘real world’ will think that it’s just teachers complaining about something that’s insignificant, and from the outside looking in, it is,” Hrubes said. “It seems like that, but … it’s a small thing that makes a big difference in a teacher’s day.”

Thus, the root of the issue at hand is exposed. Teachers are already expected to put up with so many regulations, curriculums and rules that the latest impositions are only another overreach to add to the pile. Their autonomy is chipped away bit by bit as each new policy is hammered in place, and no one seems to care.

This should go without saying, but teachers are professionals who deserve respect. Mandates which block their ability to enjoy the day should be condemned by all.

Despite Hrubes’ and Hollander’s dislikes of the policy, they agreed to take their appliances home as required.

“It is what it is. If that’s what they want, that’s what I have to do,” said Hollander.

Teachers face enough resistance from their students during the day. Do they need to be micromanaged by the school board too? After a school year where teachers were forced into new technology, schedules, teaching requirements and a never-ending supply of issues due to COVID-19, the district took away their fridges and warm coffee.

Not to mention, the Cedar Rapids and Linn-Mar school districts are already suffering substitute teacher shortages, according to KCRG. Sometimes, other full-time teachers are required to fill the gaps remaining after substitutes run out. Decisions like this revised energy conservation policy serve only to drive away the people we need to teach future generations.

Teachers deserve to have nice things, even if they cost more energy and money. We can afford coffee makers; we can’t afford to lose the professionals who use them.

[Author’s Note: I reached out to CRCSD for an interview, but they did not respond by the publication date.]

-Joel Dillman