Small Solar Farm at Jackson Public Schools, Mississippi - Case Study Example

Funding Proposal for a Small Solar Farm at Jackson Public Schools, Mississippi Funding Proposal for a Small Solar Farm at Jackson Public Schools, Mississippi Introduction In 1965, theElementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) was enacted (Parvensky, 2011). The Act was a part of the former President Lyndon Johnson’s program dubbed “War on Poverty” and aimed to increase access to public education to American children from poor households. The Act also forbade the developing of a national curriculum, instead allowing individual states to establish their own based on the unique needs. The Act provides an elaborate framework for funding primary and secondary school education in the country. Successive governments have reauthorized the Act every five years, with the current reauthorization being the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) of 2001. Under NCLB, Title 1 Funding is accorded schools that have at least 35% of their students coming from low-income families (Parvensky, 2011). In order to establish the proportion of students from low-income households, the Act provides schools with at least five measures of poverty. Today, over 50% of all public schools in the United States receive Tittle 1 funding. By this funding proposal, the Jackson Public Schools seek to secure funding with which to run a STEM project. Background on Jackson Public Schools Jackson Public Schools (JPS) is a group of a total of sixty schools located at the Jackson Public School District in Jackson, Mississippi. The district is the second largest school district and the only urban one in the State of Mississippi. It was founded in 1888. The sixty schools comprise thirty-eight elementary schools, thirteen middle schools, two schools for students with special needs and seven high schools. Together, all these schools serve approximately thirty thousand students. These students come from the Jackson and Byram communities. Jackson community alone has a population of 175,000. JPS has employed about five thousand people, the majority of whom come from the two communities served by the school district. The Project: A Small Solar Farm for Jackson Public Schools Project Overview The purpose of the Jackson Public Schools Solar Farm project is to generate sufficient electricity to meet the lighting needs of all the schools that make up the district while providing students with first-hand, real-life applications of STEM subjects. In the long-term, the project aims to generate adequate electricity to meet all the power needs of the Jackson schools, and by so doing, free the schools from hefty monthly power bills. The project is set to be situated on a parcel of land that lies next to the school district and is earmarked for acquisition. The objectives of the project are: To encourage students to develop and nurture their interest in STEM subjects, especially girls, who traditionally have tended to shy from STEM subjects and students from poorly represented minority groups. To get STEM professionals to motivate the students to pursue STEM careers and for the students to network with these professionals. To introduce the students to the various career options available to them in the STEM fields. Project’s Reach The project targets students from the fifth through the twelfth grade in all the schools of the district. In particular, the project targets girls in these grades. For a long time, girls have tended to avoid STEM subjects, claiming that they are a domain for men. This project aims to demystify this notion. In addition, the project targets students from minority groups that are poorly represented at Jackson schools. As much as possible, the project will try to engage students from poor families, many of whom benefit from the federal government’s program of free and subsidized lunches. Partners Given the objectives of the project, Jackson schools cannot pursue the project alone. Thus, the district is going to partner with a number of players. These include: Jackson State University Companies dealing in renewable energy within the state The federal government that we expect is going to provide technical support in addition to funding the project Several community organizations involved in green energy projects across the state Learning Environment This project seeks to bolster interest in STEM subjects. In this project, for instance, girls will have the opportunity to assemble photo-voltaic cells into solar panels while having fun at the same time. The informal out-of-class environment will create opportunities for relaxation, bonding, boosting friendships, building teamwork and networking with STEM practitioners. Above all, the project will enable learners to marry theory with practice. Room for Replication This project is highly replicable. Jackson schools believethat after it has taken root at the district, the project will be expanded to cover all the public schools in the state. Apart from creating avenues for STEM professionals to mentor students, this project will enable participating schools to save a lot of money in power bills while conserving the environment. The monies thus saved could be used to support disadvantaged students in line with the spirit of Title 1 funding. Justification for Funding Thirty-six percent of all the students of Jackson Public schools benefit from free and subsidized lunches under the National School Lunch Program. These pupils come from poor families and left on their own, they would go without lunch on every school day. In fact, some of them come from families that are too poor to afford three square meals a day. These are many poor students in the school district. In the absence of the National School Lunch Program, the school district would have been hard-pressed to provide these children with lunch. The NCLB requires that for a public school to benefit from Title 1 funding, at least 35% of its students must come from poor households as determined by one of the five criteria. The Jackson Schools Board of Trustees believes that the education system should promote and uphold equity, in line with the spirit of Title 1 Funding. The concept of equity in public schools demands that each learner be allocated resources, financial and otherwise, according to their family’s ability or inability to pay. Thus, a student from a poor family is entitled to more state resources than the one who comes from a well-off family. The Board believes that currently this is not the case. First, the procedures set in place to identify needy students are weak. Secondly, even if these students were identified, there is nothing to compel schools to distribute resources equitably. Hence, schools act according to their discretion. This phenomenon has tended to put needy students at somewhat of a disadvantage relative to their counterparts from better-off families. This STEM project will provide ample opportunities to engage disadvantaged students unlike what is possible in the classroom setting. Budgeting For the last five academic years running, Jackson schools have received $5 million a year worth of Title 1 funding. This year, however, in light of the proposed project, the Board is requesting an additional $5,000,000. The extra allocation will be used to meet the cost of the project. The table below summarizes the proposed budget for the project. Component Subtotal ($) Purchase of 20 acres of land @ $20,000 Improvement of the site Purchase and installation of plant and equipment Compliance with state and federal requirements Labor 400,000 100,000 4,000,000 100,000 400,000 Total 5,000,000 Accountability for the Use of Funds Jackson school have a robust accounting system that ensures that all the funds the schools receive state and federal sources are utilized prudently. The schools have a fully-fledged finance division with a clear chain of command. The Finance Officer heads the finance division. Each of the sixty schools has a School Bursar, who reports to the Finance Officer. The Finance Officer in turn reports to the Board of Trustees. In turn, the Board of Trustees answers to the State Department of Education. The School Bursar is assisted by a team of cashiers. This elaborate chain of command guarantees openness and transparency in the way the schools’ finances are handled. Moreover, in a bid to enhance openness and seal all loopholes for corruption, the Board recently completed full automation of the schools’ financial system. Today, every transaction, from receipt of school fees to payment of suppliers, is automated. The automation of the financial system minimizes the risk of mismanagement of the schools’ resources while at the same time enhancing service delivery to stakeholders. In the past, Jackson Schools have received positive ratings from the federal government, the state government, donors and sponsors for the prudent and accountable use of the resources received from these entities. In light of this, last year, the graduates from our seven high schools received a total of $12 million in sponsorships. Indeed, the Board of Trustees is committed to giving our supporters value for their money. We accomplish this by making prudent use of our resources and reporting back to our supports. Copies of written feedback we have received from our satisfied supporters in the past are available on request. Conclusion Over the years, the management of Jackson Public Schools has noted, with much concern, growing apathy toward STEM subjects in the schools. Girls especially have tended to avoid these subjects, labeling them as hard. This project provides the best opportunity to rejuvenate interest in STEM projects. Consequently, the Board is requesting for additional funding over and above what the schools receive in Title Funding, to the tune of $5,000,000. The Board has put in place adequate checks and balances to ensure that all the monies disbursed to the schools for this project will be used in a transparent, accountable manner. Reference Parvensky, M. S. (2011). Reforming Title I: Closing the Academic Achievement Gap for Disadvantaged Students. Cambridge: Havard Kennedy School. 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