Upper Darby committee backs solar at Hillcrest and Stonehurst after cheaper bathroom renovation test

The Upper Darby School District’s finance and operations committee signaled support for moving forward with solar installations at Hillcrest and Stonehurst elementary schools and described a lower-cost bathroom renovation method that administrators say will free funding for capital work.

District Director of Operations Marvin Lee told the committee the district originally received an award under the Pennsylvania Solar for Schools grant and faces two major cost uncertainties: a federal investment tax credit and substantial roofing work. “We are asking the board to reconsider and approve that we move forward with the solar for school project at 2 of the 6 schools,” Lee said. He recommended completing Hillcrest and Stonehurst by summer 2026.

Why it matters: the grant and the federal investment tax credit together substantially reduce the district’s net cost, but roofing and capital work could offset those savings. Lee said the federal investment tax credit (ITC) is attainable if the district incurs 5% of project costs by July 2026; state grant funds remain available through June 2028. If the district defers work past those windows it may forfeit federal funds or delay state reimbursements.

Most important facts

- The district reported it received about $2.4 million through the Pennsylvania Solar for Schools program. Lee said an associated federal investment tax credit was valued at roughly $2.3 million if the district meets the ITC timing requirement.

- Roofing estimates are the other major cost driver: administrators gave a districtwide roofing figure of about $4.2 million in earlier materials and broke down site work for the two recommended schools. Lee said Hillcrest needs roughly $28,000 of work to obtain a 1-year warranty and can be completed in a weekend with no educational impact; Stonehurst’s upper roof needs modest work but the lower roof requires a larger investment—about $416,000—to obtain a 20-year warranty. The lower-roof work at Stonehurst would involve about 20 workers on the roof daily for roughly two weeks and is expected to generate noise and some temporary odor.

- To reduce overall capital costs, the administration tested an alternate bathroom renovation method that avoids full demolition. Lee said the district piloted the technique over summer 2025 in Hillcrest’s lobby bathrooms and paid about $60,000 to renovate both men’s and women’s lobby bathrooms. By contrast, Lee said the lowest traditional bid to fully renovate Highland Park Elementary bathrooms was about $3.5 million; the alternate method estimate for Highland Park was about $480,000 and would shorten construction time from 2.5–3 months to roughly one month.

Board response and next steps

Committee leaders and members asked procurement and schedule questions; the administration said roofing and panel bids would be taken in the fall if the board approves moving forward. When asked whether state grant funding is contingent on the state budget, an administrator responded that the Solar for Schools awards are separate grant awards that have been signed and earmarked for the district; reimbursement requires completing the projects and submitting documentation.

At the close of the update the committee chair asked whether members were comfortable moving Hillcrest and Stonehurst forward; several members responded, “Yes.” The presentation described bidders’ timing and indicated staff will proceed to market for roofing bids in the fall if the board gives direction.

Other details and limits on interpretation

Lee told the committee he used conservative, “simple” return-on-investment figures that do not assume future electricity-rate escalation; staff said escalation would shorten payback timelines compared with the simple ROIs shown. The district gave a 20–25 year panel life estimate; administrators and board members raised the point that if payback approaches replacement life for panels and roofs, the financial case for installation becomes less straightforward.

Public comment

A resident, Meredith Haig, thanked staff and urged the board to accept the recommendation so students could benefit from the panels. “I really, really hope that everyone’s going to jump in and seize this opportunity,” she said.

What the committee did not do tonight

Staff sought board direction to proceed with the two-school rollout and received verbal assent from committee members, but the transcript shows no formal motion or recorded roll-call vote to adopt final contracts or to obligate district funds. Final contract awards, reimbursement submissions, and any project-specific motions will require subsequent board action per the district’s procurement rules.

Ending note

Administrators said they will return to the board with procurement timelines and recommend roofing bids in the fall if the board endorses moving forward with Hillcrest and Stonehurst. The administration also said savings from bathroom renovations could be reallocated to future solar or capital projects.