Tunkhannock Area SD board approves submission of Solar for Schools grant application

The Tunkhannock Area School District board unanimously approved a resolution to submit an application to the state's Solar for Schools program at a special meeting called specifically to authorize the filing.

Superintendent (unnamed) told the board the district must formally approve the application for five separate projects to allow submission by the program's deadline. "If awarded this grant, this would provide approximately $1,100,000 towards our solar project," the superintendent said. The board voted by roll call with seven yes votes and no dissent.

The resolution covered submitting five individual applications, one per project, the superintendent said, and staff planned to finalize and submit the applications the following day to meet the deadline. During remarks the superintendent apologized for the oversight that left formal approval outstanding after discussion at the regular January meeting and thanked the board for convening the special meeting on short notice.

Board members made the motion to approve and seconded it (the motion and second were recorded as Paula and Missus Franco). Roll-call responses recorded in the transcript show Mrs. Bennett, Mrs. Eckard (recorded later as Eckert), Mr. Franco, Dr. O'Shierich, Dr. Provola (recorded later as Prabhova), Mr. Farr and Mrs. Arnold each voting yes.

The superintendent also described broader federal funding concerns raised earlier in the meeting, noting a 24-hour federal freeze on grant programs was rescinded and saying such a freeze would have had a significant fiscal impact on the district. The superintendent said a freeze would have eliminated an estimated 10 mills of funding ("about $3,000,000 a year"), ended federally funded free and reduced-price lunch programs, and prompted staff reductions, though those outcomes were part of a hypothetical scenario the superintendent described and were not board actions.

The district will now proceed with submitting the Solar for Schools grant applications and await the state's award decision. No further board action on the grant was taken at the meeting.