BALTIMORE — As the school year creeps closer, there's a hot problem Baltimore teachers are worried about.

"We don't want to do the whole church thing and doing this here with the paper. We want real fans and we want new fans," Larry Gaines, a member of the Baltimore Teachers Union who happens to be a teacher's aide at Dunbar High School, said.

He says while his school isn't suffering, from his perspective he's worried other students will feel the heat and be less likely to want to learn.

"It's hard. It's kind of a distraction -- a pain in the side. You're dealing with whatever you're dealing with and then you have the heat that's bringing on more distractions," Gaines said.

Since Friday, BTU has been raising money for cooling fans, $20 to $30 a piece that will buy big box fans to fill out hot classrooms.

While the plan to update and upgrade air conditioning units rolls out from city schools, it won't be in time for the start of the year, and it's enough for some to put a bandage on the problem.

"Old problem....new administration that's addressing some of the problems. This is just new solutions to old problems," Gaines said.

To donate to the BTU's fan drive, click here.

If you're looking to donate to teachers around the region, click here.