Stockton Unified approves $42.6 million energy-services contract to replace HVAC, lighting and add solar

The Stockton Unified School District board on June 25 approved a comprehensive energy‑services contract intended to modernize HVAC, lighting and solar at multiple campuses, a staff presentation and votes showed.

At a public hearing, Tyler Gerben, regional manager for Climate Tech, described a bundled program that would replace roughly 212 HVAC units across eight sites, install building‑automation systems and indoor‑air monitoring at dozens of schools, convert old fluorescent fixtures to LED and add solar photovoltaic shade structures (and associated electric‑vehicle charging infrastructure) at seven sites. Gerben told trustees the program cost is about $42,600,000 and projected lifecycle savings of about $48,300,000.

Why it matters: district staff said the work targets long‑deferred infrastructure needs and aims to reduce utility spending (Gerben said Stockton Unified spends about $10,000,000 a year on utilities) while improving classroom comfort and air quality for students. The contract also includes student engagement and curriculum elements tied to renewable energy.

Board members asked detailed questions about scope, monitoring and funding. Staff said the district has committed roughly $35,000,000 in general‑fund set‑asides for HVAC needs and will use several funding sources: the CalSHAPE grant (staff said half the award was already received), PG&E on‑bill financing (described as roughly $4,000,000), available utility incentives and the district’s general‑fund set‑aside; staff also noted potential future reimbursements from federal Inflation Reduction Act programs and state bond reimbursement opportunities.

Trustee Sofia Colon moved to approve the agreement; President Kenetha Stevens seconded. The board carried the motion in a roll‑call vote during the public meeting. Later in the agenda the board adopted resolution number 24‑89 authorizing the contract; that resolution was recorded as passing 6–1, with Trustee Shauna Priess voting no.

What the contract includes: Gerben said the initial phase will replace high‑need HVAC units (some more than 35 years old), add air conditioning in a handful of kitchens, upgrade automation and install indoor‑air monitoring across dozens of sites. The scope also lists LED retrofits, solar shade structures (one proposed for the district office parking lot), and student learning modules for STEM and renewable‑energy curriculum at participating schools.

Next steps: staff said implementation would begin this summer on critical HVAC work, and that the district will coordinate with unions and the community workforce agreement for local hiring and labor. The board’s formal roll calls and resolutions complete the procurement and authorize staff to move toward contract execution and construction planning.

Board action and sources: The article relies on the district presentation and the public hearing remarks by Tyler Gerben and Vicki Brum and the district’s roll‑call votes as recorded in the meeting transcript. The board referenced OAH case 2025040630 and other agenda items elsewhere in the meeting, but the contract discussion focused on infrastructure scope, funding and schedule.

What remains uncertain: Staff described several funding streams and potential future reimbursements; the district said bond funds would be used only if needed and that the bond‑oversight committee will receive a presentation before any bond funds are spent. Exact site‑by‑site phasing and final guaranteed‑savings figures will be refined during engineering and the third‑party review the district cited.