Higher Energy Bills Due With Summer Classes

Expecting record numbers of summer school students, some Ventura County districts are seeking ways to cut energy costs during the months when their electric bills normally go down.

As school districts experience up to 50% increases in monthly electricity bills to keep the lights on and air conditioners running, hundreds of students are enrolling in summer school.

Enrollment throughout the county has more than doubled during the past two years, following the enactment of a state law banning social promotion. Most districts require low-performing students--those who score poorly on proficiency exams--to complete summer school or be held back.

Some districts will start an hour earlier or consolidate classes into one school to reduce costs. But because of the new state accountability mandates, they have little choice but to offer a full range of summer programs, officials said.

In the Ventura Unified School District, an unprecedented 1,300 elementary school students have signed up for reading and math intervention programs that will operate at nearly every school this summer, said Kris Bergstrom, director of curriculum.

“We get from the state barely enough to pay teachers’ salaries, and any extra costs come out of the general fund,” she said. “If we have more students attending, certainly it will cost us more.”

But help may be coming soon. On Monday afternoon, Gov. Gray Davis announced $540.8 million in new funding to assist school districts statewide with rising energy-related costs.

In Simi Valley, officials are estimating a 40% increase in electricity costs--about $866,000 during the next school year--and a 65% jump in natural gas costs, amounting to an extra $183,000 next year.

“There are facility repairs we probably won’t be able to do, and we have a huge backlog now,” said Mel Roop, an assistant superintendent for Simi Valley Unified. “There are a lot of other things people are asking for that just won’t happen.”

During the hot summer months, Roop estimates the district will spend at least $22,000 more this year than was spent last year on electricity.

Because summer school traditionally is held from 8 a.m. to noon, officials are hoping the weather will cooperate and reduce the need to rely too much on costly air-conditioning systems.

Particularly hard-hit is the Oxnard Elementary School District, the only district in the county with a year-round schedule. Not only will operating costs be higher this summer, but three of the district’s older schools were built without windows.

But a committee now in place is studying ways to conserve energy--and devising backup plans in case of rolling blackouts, Assistant Supt. Sandra Rosales said.

“When the lights and the air conditioning go out, they’ve got a problem,” Rosales said. She said the district’s energy budget increased about $300,000 this year and will go up another $600,000 next year.

“Because regular school is in session, we anticipate having an added burden,” she said.

Other districts have already launched energy-reduction plans to avoid siphoning off classroom instruction dollars. Among the first was the Conejo Valley Unified School District, which saw energy costs increase by about $600,000 in the past few months, officials said.

A central feature of Conejo Valley’s plan is an energy conservation booklet distributed to every school. It is filled with cost-saving tips--everything from closing blinds on hot days to creating a student “energy patrol” team to monitor classroom behavior.

At the district headquarters in Thousand Oaks, officials have taken bulbs out of light fixtures in many of the hallways, permanently turned off most outdoor accent lighting and posted reminders next to light switches throughout the buildings.

Gary Mortimer, Conejo’s assistant superintendent for business services, said it’s too soon to tell whether the conservation efforts have paid off. But, he added, administrators are looking into computer software that will enable them to compare energy costs from month to month.

So far, one thing is certain: “It’s a lot dimmer around here,” he said.