Public school board eyes funds for solar-panel push

Edmonton public school trustees hope the province takes a shine to their request for about $50 million to put solar panels on top of a quarter of district schools.

The board voted unanimously Tuesday to request an audience with the ministers of education, infrastructure and the environment to ask them to fund a plan projected to save about $4 million a year in electricity costs.

Vice-chairwoman Bridget Stirling said the board should seize the chance to teach a younger generation about renewable energy.

“We’re not only saving money and lowering our carbon footprint as a district, but we’re providing that environmental education opportunity,” Stirling said.

Trustee Trisha Estabrooks said a Grade 3 student told her he was surprised schools didn’t already have solar panels.

“Our students, and kids in our schools, they are our guide. It is time that these panels are there. They know it, we know it and the potential of this is huge,” she said.

Two weeks ago, school district administrators proposed a plan to put solar arrays on the roofs of 52 schools during the next eight years. The district would save an estimated $40 million to $50 million in electricity costs over the life of the panels, they said.

The district would attempt to reach a deal with a utility to sell excess electricity back to the grid, said Lorne Parker, executive director of infrastructure.

Board chair Michelle Draper said she hopes the district will be eligible for funds from the province’s climate leadership plan, created to move Alberta toward a goal of generating 30 per cent of its electricity from renewable sources by 2030.

SUPERINTENDENT PAY

On a separate matter, trustee Michael Janz made a statement to the board Tuesday backing Edmonton public’s superintendent Darrel Robertson, saying Robertson’s salary is not excessive.

Several school boards have defended their superintendent’s salaries in the wake of an Alberta School Boards’ Association report that found superintendent pay in the province rose 10 per cent in five years while other wages stagnated.

Although Robertson’s base salary has dropped during the last four years, his total compensation, including benefits, allowances and expenses, has risen 6.2 per cent in four years to $372,641, according to financial statements posted on the district’s website.

Tending to a complex organization with a $1-billion budget and nearly 100,000 students takes a “strong and capable individual,” Draper said in an interview.

Robertson’s five-year contract expires Aug. 31, 2021.

Draper said the board has concerns about the credibility of the report on superintendent pay after the association issued a corrected version changing several numbers.

Education Minister David Eggen has said he’s considering measures such as a salary grid or cap for superintendents.

PD, RECRUITMENT PLANS

Also on Tuesday, district employee groups aired their wishes before the board begins budget deliberations next month.

The demand for educational assistants (EAs) to help students with disabilities and other challenges far exceeds the supply of trained workers, said Carol Chapman, president of the Canadian Union of Public Employees Local 3550. She also said nearly 30 per cent of public school support staff are aged 55 or older. The district could use a training program to equip more EAs, she said.

Draper said the district is working on recruiting more EAs, and talking to MacEwan University about expediting their training.