When the Canajoharie Central School District decided it wanted to be more proactive about green initiatives, the first step it took was to hire full-time energy manager Francis D’Ambrosio. The new position was funded through a grant award via the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority’s Clean Green Schools initiative.
The initiative is partially funded by the Environmental Bond Act, a spending package funded through state bonds and includes $4.2 billion for climate-change mitigation projects. The bond act was approved by voters in November 2022 with NYSUT’s backing because it promised to drive significant energy upgrades and improve indoor air quality, ventilation and drinking water at schools across the state.
A portion of the funds are administered by NYSERDA and the authority has been designated $100 million to distribute to schools for green building initiatives and an additional $500 million to help schools transition to electric school buses through the state School Bus Incentive Program. Projects like these are expected to save districts a lot of money in the long run — and that means more money to spend on students.
“Savings can mean better books and supplies or even hiring more staff. We wanted to do everything we can to reduce energy so we can take those savings and ensure students are getting the most out of their educational experiences and keep annual increases to taxpayers to a minimum,” said D’Ambrosio, a member of the Canajoharie United School Employees Support Association, led by Melissa Skandera.
Located in the town of Canajoharie, just off I-90, the district is composed of three school buildings plus a transportation depot and aquatics complex.
D’Ambrosio said his first order of business was to develop a districtwide energy plan, a project funded by a NYSERDA grant. The energy plan measured current output, set reduction goals, and identified ways to meet those goals, including new technologies, alternate providers, etc. “We needed to have a baseline,” D’Ambrosio said. “We can’t manage what we don’t measure.”
Thanks to careful benchmarking and conscientious planning, D’Ambrosio’s role as energy manager helped the district save 13 percent in energy costs since 2022, “which means we’re essentially paying the same thing we were back in 2022,” he said.
Reducing energy consumption has involved small measures that everyone can take part in, like switching off the lights and shutting the windows at the end of the day to much larger projects like installing a 2.5-acre solar field at the transportation office, which is expected to offset 84 percent of the district’s energy costs.
By meeting regularly with everyone from administrators to teachers and maintenance staff, D’Ambrosio has been able to get buy-in for even the most ambitious projects. “The big lesson was learning how to convey the reasons why we are doing this,” he said. He has made Canajoharie students more energy conscious, too. He regularly presents to classes at the elementary, middle and high schools.
Thanks to D’Ambrosio’s efforts, Canajoharie just received NYSERDA funding to design a clean heating and cooling system for the 70-year-old elementary school and swimming complex and to complete an electrification plan for the district’s fleet of 17 school buses.
In 2022, the state announced that all school districts must transition their bus fleets from diesel to zero emission buses by 2035. Due to the successfully completed electrification plan, Canajoharie is eligible for additional funding for its first electric bus and charger.
Canajoharie also received funds from the EPA and leveraged a federal tax credit to offset costs – allowing the district to secure a $400,000 bus for $0.
By getting the bus at zero cost, the district can make a risk-free foray into electric. “The plan is to get a lot of data, and see what the experience is like for us,” D’Ambrosio said.
That’s exactly what NYSERDA wants.
“We’re encouraging schools to get started,” said Adam Ruder, director of clean transportation at NYSERDA. “Districts are not expected to convert their entire fleet all at once. This will be a multi-year process.”
Since funding opened in 2023, NYSERDA has received applications for 150 school buses and 250 electrification plans, with hundreds more applications anticipated, Ruder said.
“This is a full-time job, and It takes a lot of effort, but this is what the position is designed to get done,” D’Ambrosio said.