Talk about wind school. The Oklahoman recently took a look at what the Sooner State’s growing wind industry has meant for rural school districts.
Its findings: wind power has made a big difference.
Oklahoma has faced steep cuts to its state education budget in recent years. However, wind payments have also helped bridge the gap. Especially for many small-town districts.
“We would probably be right there screaming with everyone else about the budget if it wasn’t for those (turbines).” That was said by Rob Friesen. Most importantly, Rob is also the superintendent of Okarche Public Schools. For these turbines, the Okarche school system recently added a new gym. Also built a new elementary school and art center. Finally, they constructed an agricultural and technology building.
Wind School Bond Ability
“It increases the amount of money you can go out and bond,” Friesen said. “Without it, we wouldn’t be doing all these projects,” Friesen said. “Without it, we would have to pick just one of these projects.”
Meanwhile, Robert Trammell, superintendent of Cheyenne Public schools, says wind school revenue also makes up 10 percent of his district’s budget. Moreover and wind development helped the Minco public school system build a new high school.
Wind School Rural Districts
In rural districts short on resources, wind school farm revenue can more clearly make a huge difference. In fact, researchers from Oklahoma State University recently found wind farms would pay in-state schools over a billion dollars. For that’s during the course of their lifetimes.
Source: Into the Wind, GREG ALVAREZ MAY 16, 2017, American Wind Energy Association, AWEA
Conclusion
Oklahoma has been hard hit by budget cuts. So schools are one of the first to feel its impact. In addition, Oklahoma’s struggling economy continues to cause problems for local families. Especially those that are already dealing with the effects of the recession. The state’s school systems are being forced to make painful cuts to teacher salaries and class sizes. That’s meaning that more students will have trouble earning their diploma. That which makes for fewer teachers to educate them.
This is especially why all districts in Oklahoma need wind turbine Microgrids.
Every student in Oklahoma needs a teacher. A recent study found that the state’s high school graduation rates have actually fallen over the past decade. So even as the number of students enrolled in public schools has increased. When budget constraints have forced schools to cut costs in other areas, Oklahoma teachers have had to adapt by teaching more classes and using the same amount of day-to-day school time.
