Why Modesto City Schools is taking part in summit at the White House this week
Modesto City Schools, which in recent years has rolled out dozens of electric buses and erected solar-panel shades in school parking lots, will participate Friday in a White House summit on sustainability.
It is among seven school districts across the nation leading a discussion in this first-ever event about clean infrastructure upgrades and the use of federal tax credits to substantially lower the cost of green energy on school campuses.
Gilbert Blue Feather Rosas, the Modesto district’s director of sustainability and adaptation, will speak as part of a panel on equity and justice in school facilities and infrastructure.
“In the last two years, Modesto City Schools has received more than $17 million in grants, contracted over $50 million in green solar infrastructure and filed for $12 million in elective pay reimbursement because of state and historic federal funding like the clean school bus and investment tax credit programs,” he said.
Part of the funding received was through the Inflation Reduction Act. The act expanded tax credits for clean energy technologies to encourage organizations to manufacture, install, and produce clean energy over the next decade.
The act has direct pay, also known as “elective pay”, which allows qualified organizations to receive a payment equal to the full value of tax credits for building qualifying clean energy projects.
This type of funding allowed Modesto City Schools to invest in solar panel infrastructures at high schools, purchase electric school buses and offer paid student internships through Climate Action Pathways for Career Technical Education.
“It’s too early to calculate the district savings from our solar projects because they are so new, with some still under construction or scheduled to start construction soon,” Modesto City Schools spokeswoman Linda Mumma Solorio told The Bee. “However, depending on the school site, 60-70% of our current electricity costs will be offset by our solar projects.”
Rosas said he was invited to speak at Friday’s gathering — the Summit for Sustainable and Healthy K-12 Infrastructure — because members of the Department of Education heard him talk at multiple conferences.
His work has led him to appear on webinars for the Environmental Protection Agency and podcasts for the Environmental Defense Fund, and at the Harvard Graduate School of Education.
Rosas said he hopes more school districts will go toward sustainable and green energy because it’s the right thing to do and it will be good for the environment.
Those interested in watching the livestream can tune in on YouTube at 10:00 a.m.
