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District outlines expanded funding options including ESCO audits and corporate sponsorships
Summary
Facilities staff presented several nontraditional funding options to address deferred maintenance and major capital needs, including an ESCO audit starting now and plans to bring a corporate-sponsorship policy to the policy committee.
Christina School District facilities leadership briefed the board on several alternative funding sources to supplement state minor-cap allocations and address deferred maintenance across district schools.
George Wicks, supervisor of facilities, said the district typically receives about $2 million annually through the state's minor-cap program, an amount the district says has not kept pace with inflation. The district is also using a voluntary-assessment (VSA) fund — developer-impact funds held by the state — for minor capital projects such as playground and track upgrades. Wicks said the district has applied for and used an architectural-barrier minor-cap fund for accessibility work and has pursued other state sources when available.
Wicks outlined several additional options the district is pursuing: energy savings performance contracts (ESCOs), renewable-energy and solar grants, career-related grants tied to career-pathway renovations, and corporate sponsorships. The board previously approved initiating ESCO work; Wicks confirmed an audit by an approved ESCO vendor (named in the presentation) is starting now to identify projects where energy savings can pay for upgrades. He singled out Christiana High School's auditorium lighting as a candidate and said ESCOs could also be leveraged for high-school systems the district cannot currently pay for out of existing capital budgets.
On corporate sponsorships, district staff said they are researching model policies from other districts and plan to bring a sponsorship policy to the policy committee with the goal of a first read in February. The district also discussed reactivating an independent Christina Education Foundation (501(c)(3)) to receive third-party funds and manage grants/sponsorships at arm's length.
Board members asked for next steps and timelines; staff said the policy committee will see draft sponsorship language and that the ESCO audit has been scheduled to begin immediately. The district indicated career-partnership proposals are in development for vocational pathways such as renewable-energy training and automotive/electrification lab space.
Ending: Staff will forward a sponsorship-policy draft to the policy committee for first read and will return to the board with ESCO audit findings and a cost-benefit analysis of the proposed funding paths.
