The Chicago School Board on Thursday approved a measure that aims to make neighborhood schools more environmentally friendly and safe by investing in green energy projects.
During its monthly meeting the board unanimously approved a resolution calling on Chicago Public Schools to establish a healthy green schools pilot program with the goal of investing in at least 12 clean energy projects by the end of the 2025-26 school year.
The resolution directs projects to be slated for schools in communities that have historically faced economic barriers and environmental damage.
Enoc Martinez, a sophomore at George Washington High School on the Far South Side, was among several students who urged the board to approve the measure ahead of the meeting.
He said some areas of the city have enjoyed more financial support over the years, and the resolution would help level the playing field.
“Schools in wealthier and whiter areas have functioning buildings and better funding,” Martinez said. “It doesn’t feel fair. It feels like we’re being punished because of where we live or the color of our skin.”
The energy projects would take advantage of federal and state renewable and clean energy rebates to secure savings over their lifespan, bringing needed savings to the cash-strapped district, according to the resolution.
The resolution establishes a “Healthy Green Schools Fund” to collect ongoing tax credits and rebates the district receives from those projects. The funds would be reinvested in building improvements focused on student health, such as installing water filters that remove lead or eliminating asbestos.
Ashley Qiu, a rising senior at Lincoln Park High School, said it was much more than just a clean-energy initiative.
“It’s not just solar panels for energy efficiency, just for savings sake, but to reinvest those savings into children health so no kid has to worry about asbestos,” Qiu said.
But a dozen projects is a drop in the bucket among the district’s 500-plus schools, which have $14 billion worth of infrastructure needs, according to a 2024 analysis by CPS officials.
CPS likely can’t afford to pursue a higher volume of upgrades right now.
The district borrows every year to pay for building construction and repairs because it doesn’t have dedicated revenue for that work. CPS then spends hundreds of millions of dollars annually to repay that debt. Those payments make up about 10% of the operating budget, tying up cash that could be used for school resources.
That’s one of reasons CPS now has a more than $700 million structural deficit. CPS and school board officials would like Springfield lawmakers to allow them to go to referendum to ask voters for small, temporary taxes to fund specific projects. All Illinois school districts except Chicago’s have that option.
CPS has yet to say how much they plan to borrow for capital projects this year.
Anusha Thotakura, the board member who introduced the green schools resolution, said it’s one way to help make sure the limited amount of money for repairs and renovations is used efficiently.
“The goal is to look at where we can optimize for efficiency,” Thotakura said. “To identify opportunities and definitely address our budget gap, not further add to it.”
Thotakura added that the savings the projects create in the long-run would dwarf the upfront cost of implementing them — though those savings likely wouldn’t be realized for many years. Solar panels typically pay for themselves within 5 to 15 years, according to customer review and research platform Consumer Affairs.
“This is not just good for our schools and for the health of our kids, it’s also good for the bottom line because these upgrades are going to save CPS millions in utility and maintenance costs over time,” Thotakura argued.
In a statement, CPS said the resolution “reflects CPS’s long-term vision for cleaner, healthier, and more energy-efficient school buildings.”
The projects would focus on smaller-scale investments and piggyback off work the district already does. For example, Thotakura said, if a school needs a new boiler, the pilot program would look at the viability of instead installing a heat pump that saves money over time.
Students would be directly involved in the program. The resolution directs CPS to partner with local labor unions as well as school staff to develop curriculum to teach students about green energy jobs and train them to help with project installations at their schools.
Thotakura noted that the district has already been making energy efficiency investments. It has upgraded thousands of light fixtures, and more than 100 HVAC efficiency projects have been recently completed or are in process, according to a CPS presentation from June, 2024.
And 62 CPS buildings have received LEED certification, the district said. LEED certification means a building or space uses less energy and water, reduces carbon emissions and creates a healthier environment for residents and workers.
In May, CPS was awarded a gold certification from the Healthy Green Schools and Colleges program launched by the Healthy Schools Campaign. It was the first district to achieve certification in the nationwide program, which has around a dozen districts working toward certification.
CPS also agreed to investments in green policies over four years in the new Chicago Teachers Union contract. Those include installing solar panels at 30 schools, adding composting at 25 schools, creating a joint initiative to remove lead pipes from service lines and the creation of a joint Green Schools and Climate Change Preparedness Committee.