Three schools in the 14th District are recipients of the Cook County Solar Schools Grant Program:
Cooper Middle School in Buffalo Grove,
Holmes Middle School in Wheeling, and
London Middle School in Wheeling.
The Cook County Solar Schools Grant provides supplemental funding to grantees of the Illinois Clean Energy Community Foundation’s (ICECF) K-12 Solar Schools Program, a program that supports the installation of 1kW photovoltaic (PV) systems throughout Illinois institutions serving grades K-12. The K-12 Solar Schools program turns school buildings into hands-on science experiments, helping teachers to instruct students about science, math, technology, the environment, and other important topics.
When contemplating applications for the Cook County Solar Schools Grant Program, preference was given to Title-1 school-wide funded and Title-1 school-wide eligible schools, in which children from low-income families make up at least 40% of the enrollment.
Grantees were awarded up to $4,999 per school to cover:
· Up to 10% of the remaining costs of the 1kw PV system, not covered by ICECF,
including supplies, installation and labor, not to exceed $2,000
· An award of up to $1,500 to the school for the purposes of setting up an
operations and maintenance fund for the PV system to ensure its long-term
operation for the school community
· Up to $1,500 towards the costs of the Solarbration and educational resources
related to renewable energy, and/or signage for the installation.