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Solar project to save Sleepy Eye school $7.6K yearly

SLEEPY EYE — The Sleepy Eye Public School Board heard solar project and legislative updates from Superintendent John Cselovszki Wednesday.

The district was awarded two $60,000 Solar for Schools project grants earlier this year. Cselovszki said the solar project with Minneapolis-based Ideal Energies would enable the district to save about 20% — about $7,579 a year — in electrical costs.

The project is designed to be fully owned by the school district in 20 years.

“I’m looking forward to getting this completed. I anticipate completion in spring 2023,” Cselovszki said.

He said the school district would eventually own the solar electrical system. Following rooftop installation, the contractor will assist in monitoring electrical production and usage to optimize performance and is able to dispatch field service if needed.

One of the suggested activities of the program is installing a display in the school for students to observe solar energy generation in real time as part of the monitoring process.

Other solar project benefits include site-specific learning opportunties offering students learning the concepts of solar energy production and information on careers in clean energy and skilled-trade green jobs.

Other schools in line for the first round of Solar for Schools grants included public schools in Redwood Falls, Marshall, St. James, St. Peter, Windom, Fairmont and other districts across Minnesota.

In his legislative update, Cselovski presented the Minnesota School Boards Association Legislative Summary from Executive Director Kirk Schneidawind.

“Only a handful of bills passed,” said Schneidawind. “MSBA authored a bill to eliminate the special education cross subsidy. With such a large ($9.25 billion) surplus, MSBA believed spending $822 million would be not only a reasonable request, but it would allow the legislature to finally pay in full the largest, unfunded mandate districts experience.”

Schneidawind urged people to get to know their political candidates and have serious discussions about what their district is facing.

For more information, visit www.mnmsba.org.

(Fritz Busch can be emailed at fbusch@nujournal.com.)

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