School Find Ways to Save Money

Carlson (2009) wrote an article, “Conservation helps schools spend on students, not energy”, that clearly defines the benefits of energy conservation in reducing school districts’ utility cost while saving a huge amount of taxpayer’s money. With the recommendation and help from the consulting firm, Energy Education, Inc. a program was created to monitor the usage of utilities and to implement proper ways of conserving electricity, gas and water. Oxnard School District, Las Virgenes Unified School District as well as the school districts in Ventura County have taken a bold step in hiring energy educators and managers.
The risk that these school districts have taken proved to be a worthwhile endeavor as the savings generated from limiting energy use was rerouted towards the improvement of classrooms and educational services. The success of the energy conservation program in a limited number of districts is a wake up call to the rest of the school districts nationwide as current economic crisis and high cost of gasoline will have an impact on the school budget.
In addition, a similar scheme may be applied to household and business establishments as the cost of utilities is a major concern of entrepreneurs and family members. The article shows that there are practical solutions in reducing operating expenses without sacrificing school districts’ budget that may be intended for classroom purposes, teacher’s salaries, in-service trainings and other educational programs.

The solution often lies in the administrator’s willingness to keep an open mind, to take a concerted risk and to accept a new concept. The reluctance in changing a behavior that can make a difference may impede the growth of a sector that relies heavily on taxpayer’s money to meet the budgetary requirements of a system that is responsible for building a solid future for students who will be in charge of shaping the growth of our nation.
Reference
Carlson, C. (2009). “Conservation helps schools spend on students, not energy”.  Retrieved April 2, 2009 from http://www.venturacountystar.com/news/2009/feb/08/nb1FCenergy08/