(CalMatters Guest Commentary) - Serving as a school board president requires a deep dedication to ensuring districts have the resources needed to provide every student with a high-quality education. Sadly, that core mission has been challenged by runaway utility costs draining resources from already cash-strapped budgets.
School districts such as Oakland and Clovis Unified, for example, are separated by more than a hundred miles, yet the upward trajectory of utility costs is maddeningly similar. For Oakland, these energy expenses spiked $1.3 million just this year. Clovis has endured $2.2 million in electricity hikes since 2019 – increases that would have ballooned to more than $5 million without the district’s existing solar panels.
Energy expenses are typically the second-largest line item for schools after staff salaries. They’re paid from the same limited pot reserved for teacher salaries, classroom supplies and facility operations. More money funneled toward skyrocketing utility bills means less for the educators, materials and resources that directly impact student learning.
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