Reduced Energy Consumption = Cost Savings Now!

Over the last couple of months I have had many discussions with local leaders and other school administrators about next year’s budget. It seems apparent that preparations for the 2010 – 2011 school budget will be equally as difficult as the process we engaged in during the Spring 2009. Having incurred cuts to our students’ transportation, school staffing, and supply budgets, I would be remiss if I did not communicate my worries about what is to come in the next fiscal year. I began communicating about the budget with our staff at our Opening Day for Teachers meeting on Tuesday.

The superintendents for whom I have worked for on my way from teaching in Western New York State to becoming a Superintendent in Western Massachusetts have taught me well. Dr. Namin taught me to avoid negativity after I already learned from a couple of former superintendents that “Doom and Gloom” just doesn’t sell. The position of superintendent was not bestowed upon me so that I can tell everyone how bad things are. I believe that I was given the position of superintendent so that I can say how things are going to improve and how we are going to be better.

I recall an ESPN segment in which Patriots Coach Bill Belichick said something about the “5 P’s.” I think it means, “Proper Planning Prevents Poor Performance.” Someone please correct me if I am wrong via the comments section on the blog. This is the philosophy that I adapted in working with the budget that we have in place and in planning for the one that is to come. I would like to talk about one endeavor that appears to be working…and it is only school day number two.

At our first faculty meeting I displayed a PowerPoint slide that provided what our district paid in electric each month during the 2008 – 2009 school year. I explained how unused funds at the end of this year can be used to offset next year’s budget and then stated what I would do to save funds now in an effort to avoid crisis later. I explained how we removed more than 60 light bulbs that use a minimum of 24 watts per hour and how areas of the building that are lit by sunlight through large windows would go with the lights turned off. I pointed to the ceiling in the media center in which the meeting was held to illustrate how I only needed to turn half of the lights on.

I asked the teachers to participate in energy savings with me. If the learning process is not disrupted by turning off some of the classroom lights, I asked them to feel free to do so. Unsure of what the outcome would be to my suggestion I took a walk around the building today and looked in each and every classroom. As I would expect I saw teachers interacting with students all over the place. I also noticed that business as usual was being conducted in 43 classrooms with some of the lights turned off. The lights in the gym were almost completely turned off because of massive windows and very few lights were on in the openness of the Eileen Perkins Media Center.

At the end of the day we are turning off all of our computers and some unnecessary electrical appliances have been removed from classrooms. Some of the teachers have sent messages with suggestions to change the temperature control in air conditioned areas to further diminish our energy consumption. Last year we spent in the neighborhood of $200,000.00 on electric. I am not sure how much we will save through our efforts this year, but will communicate via a monthly report the results of this endeavor. When it comes to keeping what we have to provide educational services to our students, everything counts, and we have to do all that we can to keep these services in place.