Middleton-Cross Plains board tables sustainability package but OKs borrowing authorization

The Middleton‑Cross Plains Area School District on Monday discussed a $13.5 million phase‑one sustainability package that would add geothermal at Sauk Trail Elementary, district‑wide solar arrays, electric bus chargers and controls upgrades — then voted to postpone final approval of the package while moving forward with a separate resolution to authorize borrowing to fund the work.

Supporters urged quick action. Kevin Spittler, a member of the district sustainability committee, told the board the projects “are expensive, [but] they will pay for themselves over time,” and cited other districts’ energy savings as an example.

The proposal presented by Assistant Superintendent for Business Operations Jared Rosing and consultants described a financing path that mixes $3 million from a district Fund 46 trust, federal direct‑pay tax credits tied to the Inflation Reduction Act, and performance contracting with McKinstry. Rosing said, “the chart in the middle of page 3 shows you the amount of avoided energy costs that McKinstry will guarantee for the first 20 years.”…