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Public school districts across the nation are facing massive budget deficits.
In 2017, the companyEntegrityconducted an audit of the district’s energy efficiency.
Batesville superintendent Michael Hester could think of better ways to use that much-needed cash.
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Quality faculty would help boost the student’s performance and allow the district to rise in state achievement rankings.
Batesville High School installed 1,400 solar panels.
In only three years, the district has seen massive savings which have allowed for boosting teacher’s pay.
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The district has risen in state rankings as a result.
The cherry on top is that the district’s energy consumption has also become significantly more environmentally friendly.
Other nearby districts saw these encouraging results and have since followed suit, installing solar programs of their own.
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As of 2019, 5.3 million students attend schools powered, at least in part, by solar energy.
This number has grown as state and local governments get on board with the switch to renewable energy.
Twenty-eight states and the District of Columbia have taken actions to encourage the shift.
These policies encourage companies to shoulder the start-up costs of installing solar panels and infrastructure on school grounds.
The districts pay for the energy they use, without having to manage the energy production themselves.
However, administrators in Batesville found the exact opposite.
In three years, the district recovered from budget deficit and now has a $1.8 million surplus.
As a result, their students benefited and the school’s state rankings rose.
