Meeting Watch: PUSD obtains $25 million bond for solar project

The Porterville Unified School District Board of Directors met Thursday for its regular meeting. All trustees were present except for Vice President Hayley Buettner.

During the meeting, Ken Gibbs, assistant superintendent of business services, updated the trustees on Qualified School Construction Bonds. Gibbs announced that a bond sale — a $25 million loan to the district — was negotiated Wednesday at a net cost to the district of 1.54-percent over a 17-year term.

The bond will fund a solar program that will significantly reduce the district’s energy costs by $5-to 7-million in the first five years. Gibbs said the district has been in contact with several companies and has obtained preliminary engineering plans of the solar project.

The district’s six largest energy users are Porterville Adult School and the four high schools — Porterville, Monache, Granite Hills, and the combined Strathmore High and Harmony Magnet complex. A slide show of potential structures, including a drawing of solar grids placed over the schools’ parking lots, followed.

“Just on those six sites, we can save more than a $1 million every year,” Gibbs said. “We’re going to have the greatest impact in reducing our costs.”

During the meeting, Superintendent John Snavely also reported on Linked Learning and Student Pathways.

Other items mentioned or discussed included the approval of payroll orders of more than $6 million for the month of June, an approval for an out-of-county field trip for Porterville High School to attend an FFA leadership retreat, and the adoption of a revised policy in reference to the use of cell phones by students on high school campuses. Cell phones must continue to be turned off during instructional time but may be used between classes, breaks and lunch time.

Resolutions passed included consideration to continue to utilize legal services from Tulare County Counsel, and a resolution to eliminate a clerk typist 4-hour position from the District Student Pathways department.

There were no public comments or oral communications, and one item — the approval of a revised personnel report — was moved from the consent agenda at the beginning of the meeting to the end of closed session.

The trustees moved to a close session at 6:45 p.m.

Contact Esther Avila at 784-5000, Ext. 1045, or eavila@portervillerecorder.com.