Santa Barbara’s sunny weather is a boon for more than Hope Elementary School District’s recess hours. Hope, Monte Vista and Vieja Valley schools now host 936 solar panels among them, which Superintendent Dan Cooperman hopes will cut the electricity bill in half and teach students about renewable energy sources.
The $2 million project wouldn’t have been possible without Measure L, the general obligation bond passed with 69 percent approval last year, he said.
The district’s “Hit the Switch” event Wednesday morning will serve as a thank you to the community for supporting the measure, which funded renewable energy improvements and education technology for classrooms.
“We’re very grateful and I’m very appreciative to work in a community that’s so supportive,” said Cooperman, who is in his third year as superintendent.
Monte Vista School will host the event from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. Wednesday in its Multipurpose Room at 730 N. Hope Ave. Honorees will include the companies that worked on the project — PMSM Architects, Maino Construction and Thoma Engineering — and Assemblyman Das Williams, Santa Barbara Mayor Helene Schneider, county Supervisors Janet Wolf and Salud Carbajal, and a representative from the office of Rep. Lois Capps, D-Santa Barbara.
In addition to thanking these honorees and the community at large, district officials said they’re grateful to MarBorg Industries for providing free waste and recycling hauling and food compost collection, which saves the district more than $30,000 each year, according to Carrie Garner, the district’s GATE coordinator who helped organize the event.
The solar panels project, completed while students were on summer vacation, will bring the district about $430,000 in Southern California Edison energy rebates over the next five years. In such constraining budgetary times, “that’s huge for us right now,” Cooperman said.
If electricity rates remain unchanged, the project will pay for itself in 20 or 25 years; if rates go up, it will pay for itself even faster, he added.
Garner said the district saved $4,000 off its electric bill in October.
Going solar is also a great statement to students, showing the importance of conserving resources, exploring renewable energy and recycling, Cooperman said.
“This doesn’t solve any energy problems, but it certainly helps,” he said.
Vieja Valley has 252 solar panels, Hope has 336 and Monte Vista has 348.
— Noozhawk staff writer Giana Magnoli can be reached at gmagnoli@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.