photo by: Rochelle Valverde/Journal-World

The Lawrence school board hears a presentation about a possible pilot project for solar power as part of its work session on May 8, 2023.

Lawrence school board leaders are interested in pursuing a pilot project for rooftop solar, with the potential for the solar array to be in place before the start of next school year.

As part of a work session ahead of the school board’s regular meeting on Monday, all seven board members indicated they were interested in the district further pursuing a pilot. Particulars about the potential solar installation, including the purchase of equipment and which school would be used for the pilot, would be brought back at a later date for consideration.

“This is a no brainer,” board member Carole Cadue-Blackwood said. “I support it.”

As part of the meeting, Alan W. Lankford, of Lankford Fendler + Associates, presented a report on solar energy that included an overview of a possible pilot program for the district. The presentation went through installation costs, tax credits available and energy generation. Lankford said that after tax credits were applied, a solar panel system could pay for itself after 10 years.

The system would be purchased using the district’s capital outlay funds, and would begin saving the district money on its utility bills immediately, benefiting the district’s stressed operating budget. Board member Kelly Jones noted both the environmental and economic benefit for the district.

“Part of the conversation around why we would move in this direction, one would be sustainability and contributing positively to the effects of climate change,” Jones said. “The other was around cost savings, and that was really where the recommendation came from.”

The Futures Planning Committee, a 39-member committee that included community members, teachers, staff and administrators, recommended that the district consider the use of solar energy and/or other renewable energy in the district as part of its budget recommendation to the school board. That component of the recommendation received the highest level of support from the committee, with 87% of the members voting in support. During committee meetings, some members discussed the possibility of federal programs or grants that could offset capital costs of solar panel installations. Some comments compiled from the committee as part of the process included the need for more investigation regarding costs, savings and implementation.

Deerfield Elementary was used as an example for Monday’s presentation, but would not necessarily be the building used for the pilot project. Under the example, the preliminary cost of the system would be $239,000 and would save the district about $15,000 per year on utilities. The system would produce approximately 140 megawatts per year, or 30% to 35% of the building’s total annual usage. Lankford said energy generation was based on the size of the solar array, which for economic efficiency was sized to cover 100% of the building’s energy at its lowest usage.

Lankford discussed optimal building conditions for solar panels, such as southward roof orientation and a lack of obstructions such as rooftop AC units or surrounding trees. He said building roofs would also need to be in good condition before solar panels were installed due to costs associated with removing and reinstalling the panels. Board President Shannon Kimball asked about potential candidates given those stipulations.

Larry Englebrick, chief operations officer for the district’s facilities and operations, said that there are multiple good options, including some schools with metal roofs that last approximately 50 years. For instance, Englebrick said Prairie Park Elementary has a metal, gabled roof with portions that face south, making it an excellent location for solar. He said the district would look at a number of different details before making a recommendation for which building to use.

Jones asked about the benefit of doing a pilot project, given that solar panels are not an untested product. Jones asked why the district would start with only one building. Englebrick said it would give the district a better idea of installation costs and other particulars, and if the first year went well the board could pursue additional projects.

As far as moving forward with a potential pilot, Englebrick said the district would get proposals and bring those back to the board at a later date for consideration. He said hopefully the solar panels could be up and running by the fall.

In other business, the board:

• Received the third-quarter equity report. The quarterly report provides an update regarding the district’s efforts to address achievement gaps between different student groups. Native American Student Services coordinator Kenneth St. Pierre went over various activities to build inclusion and belonging for the district’s Native American students, including guest speakers, two trips to Kansas State University, visits of NASS dancers to Lawrence elementary schools, and activities such as making ribbon skirts, basket weaving and a graduation beading cap workshop.

The report also breaks down attendance, behavior incidents and school suspensions by different student groups. Monday’s report includes an update about the district’s rollout of restorative justice practices, which focus on repairing harm and restoring relationships, and changes to the district’s “behavior matrix,” which lays out discipline for various behaviors, to increase consistency. For serious behavior issues, such as fighting, both punitive discipline, such as suspension, and restorative practices are used. Restorative practices were previously implemented at the middle and high school level, and Cynthia Johnson, the district’s executive director of inclusion, engagement, and belonging, said that training at the elementary level would continue this summer and next school year. She said training is ongoing, and further staff training also continues at all grade levels. Jones asked for the district to provide the board a comparison of discipline statistics, such as the number of suspensions, before and after the district began implementing restorative justice.

• Recessed into executive session to discuss ongoing contract negotiations. The district negotiates contracts, including pay raises, with the district’s teacher and staff unions on an annual basis. Both unions have been working to revamp their salary schedules and are requesting pay raises for next school year. Negotiations are ongoing with both unions, and the board did not take any action following the executive session.