Canton City Schools snags $11M federal grant for energy audit and building improvements

CANTON ‒ A more than $11 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy has electrified Canton City Schools officials.

The money will allow the school district to address overdue maintenance issues and make its buildings more comfortable for learning, according to Assistant Superintendent Jason Dixon.

"This is a big deal," Dixon said. "I've been working on this for over a year with our partners Johnson Controls."

The district, in partnership with Johnson Controls, is one of 21 prize winners and one of 16 school systems nationwide to receive funding from the U.S. Department of Energy's Renew America's Schools Program .

Canton is the only district in Ohio awarded funding in this grant cycle.

Canton City Schools energy audit grant

According to the Department of Energy's website, this is the second round of funding from the program. Like the first round, its focus is providing K-12 public school districts the chance to make energy upgrades to decrease usage and costs, improve indoor air quality and foster healthier learning environments.

The DOE announced 21 winners of the $300,000 cash prize and provided 16 of those winners, including Canton City Schools, grants from $7.5 million to $15 million.

The $300,000 will be used to conduct energy audits on 15 Canton school buildings.

The audits will determine what measures the district should take to improve energy efficiency. The $11.25 million received in later phases will fund the planning, design and completion of the projects suggested by the audit.

Dixon said the audits would look at windows, air quality, heating, ventilation and air conditioning, automation controls, lighting and other factors that deal with energy and conservation. The funding can also look at alternative fuel such as electric vehicles and renewable energy.

"One building might need new windows, while another has no insulation in the roof," he said. "We'll be looking at lighting and the addition of LEDs."

'Right path for the future'

Buildings that will be assessed include AIM Academy at Belden, Arts Academy at Summit, Cedar Elementary, Clarendon Intermediate, Gibbs Elementary, Harter Elementary, McGregor Intermediate, Patrick Elementary, Worley Elementary, Youtz Intermediate, Early College at Lehman, STEAMM Academy at Hartford, Crenshaw Middle, McKinley High School and Timken Career Campus.

"While we are building new elementary schools on the northwest and southwest side of town, I don't want to forget about other school buildings," Dixon said. "We want our of learning environments to be comfortable and this grant gives us the opportunity to fund many of these long-overdue repairs and deferred maintenance costs so that all of our buildings are heading down the right path for the future."

The grant funding, he said, ultimately will reduce energy and utility costs, freeing up money for other educational opportunities.

"We have two new elementary buildings (under construction) and three elementary school roofs that are leaking," he said. "This is a problem. We are not forgetting our older buildings."

Dixon said many of the district's newer buildings are nearly 20 to 25 years old and beginning to show signs of wear.

"We have shown our facilities demonstrate the need for energy improvements and financing," Dixon said. "If we can improve our energy efficiency and lower energy costs, we can generate sustainable savings that can be redirected toward educational initiatives. That's something to celebrate."

The district will partner with local unions and businesses throughout the project to promote science, technology, engineering and math education along with opportunities for career tech education, workforce development and preparing students for a career in clean energy, he said.

"As we build state-of-the-art K-6 buildings in the southwest and northwest quadrants, we can now ensure that all of our facilities are running at the optimal level for the future," Superintendent Jeff Talbert said.

"Our students and staff deserve high-quality 21st-century learning environments at all levels. I could not be more proud of our team and their partnerships that made this grant possible."

Reach Amy at 330-775-1135 or amy.knapp@indeonline.com.

This article originally appeared on The Independent: Canton City Schools snags $11M federal grant for energy audit and building improvements