Scott Lane Elementary staff will be able to charge their electric vehicles while in class thanks to new EV chargers. At the Board of Trustees meeting on Thursday, Sept. 12, the District decided on a pay structure for staff, students and the community to use the chargers.
Electric Vehicle Charging Stations
Scott Lane Elementary now has 11 ChargePoint electric vehicle chargers. Michal Healy, Director of Facility Development and Planning, said once they figure out rates, they can finally turn them on.
Rates will vary based on electric utility provider — Silicon Valley Power or PG&E depending on the site — and will be reviewed periodically. The rate will be calculated by the average direct daily kWh plus 20% — 10% for a maintenance fund and a 10% ChargePoint cost. Staff and students could charge 7 a.m. – 5 p.m. on school days and then the public could use the chargers outside those times. For the public, a station use fee will be charged after three hours of connection per hour, but staff only pay this on non-school days.
So, the choice presented to the Board was, Option 1: staff and public pay the same amount per kWh, or Option 2: staff gets a discount. Most of the Board was behind Option 1. Board Vice President Bonnie Lieberman was concerned about the equity of giving staff with EV cars a discount and therefore a benefit not available to staff with gas cars. UTSC President Margie Wysocki agreed that the Board shouldn’t introduce an equity problem. Board Members Jodi Muirhead and Albert Gonzalez wanted to offer a discount to staff.
Student Board Member Ren Brown pointed out that students with EVs wouldn’t be able to leave campus to unplug their vehicles. Healy said that staff and students could leave their cars in the EV charging spots during the school day.
The Board passed a motion, 5-2, for Option 1 with no staff discount, with Muirhead and Gonzalez voting ‘no’.
California Building Code requires EV charging stations when building new parking lots. New construction at Briarwood, Bracher, Laurelwood, and Westwood Elementary Schools will get EV chargers. Staff is trying to coordinate an agreement with Silicon Valley Power to fund more EV chargers at Santa Clara and Wilcox High Schools and the Educational Options Campus.
Budget
Mark A. Schiel, Deputy Superintendent of Operations / Chief Business Official, welcomed the new Director of Fiscal Services Shanny Yam to the team before presenting the 2023-2024 Unaudited Actuals.
Regarding revenues, it was noteworthy that property tax revenue is down compared to previous years. The 2023 – 2024 fiscal year saw a 4.7% increase, but they usually project a 5% increase. Historically, they often see a 7% increase.
The District knew there would be deficit spending and this last fiscal year there was a $21.6 million difference in expenditures and revenue. Board Member Andy Ratermann asked Schiel when the District could be done with deficit spending. Mark said their last analysis shows that they should hopefully be out of deficit spending in the next two to three years.
Notably, the unaudited actuals show a fund balance from a class action lawsuit regarding vaping products. The District has received $125,000 so far that they can use for future smoking prevention initiatives. Also, the District got funds from Prop 28 last year to implement plans for arts and music; those plans are being implemented this year.
The Santa Clara Unified Board meets next on Thursday, Sept. 26. Meetings are live-streamed on the District’s YouTube page, and agendas are posted on their website.
