Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Arkansas School Converts Utilities Savings to Teacher Raises

  • By Matt Jones
  • 03/30/21

The Batesville School District in Batesville, Ark., isn’t the first school district to save money on utilities by switching to solar power. It may, however, be the among the first to pass those savings directly to teachers.

In 2017, Batesville High School installed hundreds of solar panels into an unused field behind the school. It also installed a solar canopy spanning across the entire front of the building for a total of about 1,500 panels. This source of solar power has saved the district more than $600,000 in utilities costs. It also converted the district’s annual budget deficit of roughly $250,000 into a $1.8 million surplus, and the district is on track to save a minimum of $2.4 million during the next 20 years.

The district’s average teacher salary previously ranked second-to-last in that region of the state, with an average of about $45,000. Superintendent Michael Hester said he was losing teachers and having trouble hiring new ones. “People aren’t in this business, obviously, for the money,” he said, “but they should not have a vow of poverty to teach, either.”

The district chose to funnel its financial savings into its greatest resource: teachers. The district has offered bonuses two years in a row and raised teachers’ salaries by up to $15,000 each, making it one of the best-paying districts in the county.

“Let’s use that money to start pumping up teachers’ salaries,” said Hester. “It’s the way we’re going to attract and retain staff. And it’s the way we’re going to attract and retain students in this day and age of school choice.”

Jeanne Roepcke, a teacher in the Batesville School District who received a significant raise, is understandably elated. “No, it would not have been one of the things that I thought,” she said. “But, what a great idea. The sun is going to be shining anyway, so why not cash in on that? It’s good to know that they care about us. It feels really, really good.”

About 7,300 schools around the country use some form of solar power, up 81% in the last five years.

About the Author

Matt Jones is senior editor of Spaces4Learning. He can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • How a Portable Sink Helped an Art Classroom Run More Smoothly

    Classroom design decisions can have outsized effects on instructional time and safety at schools juggling mismatched infrastructure, strict budgets, and crowded schedules — particularly in the arts. Between spilled paint and dirty brushes, art classes run smoother with a sink in the studio. But many schools don’t have a sink in every art classroom.

  • golden trophies with falling confetti

    Spaces4Learning Launches 2026 New Product Awards

    Spaces4Learning is happy to announce that we’re now accepting entries for the 2026 New Product Awards! The awards program recognizes the outstanding product development achievements of manufacturers and suppliers whose products or services are considered particularly noteworthy.

  • Surging Demand for Student Housing Fuels Major Campus Investment Opportunities

    University leaders throughout the U.S. are accelerating plans to modernize and expand student housing as enrollment stabilizes and demand for on-campus living rebounds. Recent data from the National Center for Education Statistics indicates that total postsecondary enrollment is projected to grow through the end of the decade, with undergraduate enrollment alone expected to increase by more than 8 percent by 2030.

  • Countway Library at Harvard Medical School

    From Shadows to Sanctuary: The Transformation of Light at Countway Library

    The renovation of Countway Library at Harvard Medical School demonstrates how biophilic design and advanced lighting strategies transformed a formerly dark, insular space into a vibrant, welcoming hub that supports wellness, learning, and community engagement.