The Madison School Board is changing its timeline for meeting the sustainability goals it committed to five years ago, saying the necessary changes were too difficult to achieve by 2040.
The district is now committed to producing zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2045, rather than using 100% renewable energy by 2040. The School Board unanimously approved the changes to the nonbinding resolution Monday night.
The resolution calls for a 50% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2035, a 75% reduction by 2040 and 100% reduction by 2045. This will be done mostly by electrifying heating systems in schools and increasing the use of non-fossil energy sources such as geothermal, solar and wind.
"I'm hoping that by voting in favor of this resolution, we can move beyond the end date and start having conversations on the start date," board member Ali Muldrow said Monday.
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Using 100% renewable energy and reducing greenhouse gas emissions achieve the same thing, according to Bob Soldner, the district’s assistant superintendent for financial services. The new resolution, however, requires fewer school closures at one time and a smaller initial investment from taxpayers.
The 2045 timeline will still require two or three schools to close temporarily each year and will cost hundreds of millions of dollars, according to board materials.
Most of this money would be generated through regular referendums, which could begin as soon as November 2024 and last through 2044. Other money would come from fundraising or federal grants.
The city of Madison and Madison Gas and Electric have both committed to completely reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.
Student groups have pushed the School Board in recent months to stick to its original timeline. While student representative Talia Richmond supported the new 2045 goal, she urged the board to quickly identify and execute the next steps.
"We can't afford to continue to push back these critical commitments to students," Richmond said Monday. "It's important we don't set a precedent that these goals can continue to be pushed back."