An Inside Look at 2 School Districts Owning Their Clean Energy Future – Creighton School District

In Creighton, Arizona, the school district took a holistic, “triangle” approach to its clean energy projects that will lower energy costs, keep students safer, and help the climate. After hearing that funding opportunities through the IRA could help cover 40 percent of solar costs, Creighton School District jumped on the opportunity and added the installation of solar panels to their list of projects—along with tree plantings and shade structures. In planning, the district made a distinct effort to emphasize environmental stewardship and incorporate climate science into its curriculum, along with the updated energy systems to help protect students from intense heat and save the district money from skyrocketing utility bills.

Superintendent Jay Mann: Anything we can do to mitigate heat for our students is really important and valuable. We’ve really tried to take a holistic approach. What we’re trying to do is, what are the goals of the district? On one end of the spectrum, you have the financial aspect of things. If there’s a way we can save money on our utility bills, that same funding mechanism of maintenance and operation dollars that pay our utility bills is what we pay our teachers with. So if you can save $65,000 a year on utilities, you can put one more teacher in the classroom.