The North Pocono School District is considering borrowing up to $7.5 million to place solar panels on district buildings and other infrastructure projects.
The school board plans to vote on a resolution to issue general obligation bonds for the project, which officials estimate will cost between $3.3 and $4 million. The other projects covered by the borrowing are a new roof at the high school, estimated to cost $2.4 million, and a districtwide lighting retrofit, estimated to cost $570,000.
The district preliminarily plans to install 2,449 solar panels on all five district buildings. The high school will have the most panels at 1,085, with 372 on the intermediate school, 421 atop the middle school, 372 on Moscow Elementary School and 199 on Jefferson Elementary School.
Business Manager Thomas McIntyre anticipates the project will start in the spring and will take between six and seven months to complete.
Board members voted earlier this month to authorize Exact Solar of Newtown to install the panels. Officials are finalizing a contract with the company, which presented an initial cost of $3.3 million.. The motion on the January meeting agenda authorized administrators to negotiate a final agreement based on any changes in system size, costs and additional regulatory changes.
The project will be funded by an $812,000 state Solar for Schools grant and a federal inflation tax credit, which will fund 40% of the project. McIntyre estimates the remaining cost of the project will be between $1.5 and $1.7 million, which will be covered by the bond.
He said the project will allow the district to trim its electric costs, with estimated savings between $150,000 and $200,000 annually. The savings are expected to increase over time as utility rates rise, McIntyre added. Solar will power 40% to 45% of electricity in district buildings, which could be financially beneficial for the district, he said.
The board implemented a 5% tax increase for Lackawanna County residents and 3.87% increase for Wayne County residents in the district’s 2025-26 budget.
McIntyre said Exact submitted the second-lowest bid and was selected because of its knowledge of solar, the procurement process and tax laws.
“They had much more knowledge than the lowest vendor,” he said. “They just were very on top of it and understood all the different deadlines that we have to meet in order to make sure we get the tax credit.”
He said the district has looked at installing solar panels for two years but it wasn’t financially feasible at the time. Having the Solar for Schools grant will help the project financially.
“That would help us work within our budget and maybe not raise taxes quite as high, keep the taxes as low as possible for the community in turn,” McIntyre said.
The board agreed to explore solar options last February, and the district entered into an agreement with Usource LLC, a consultant providing advisory services on the project, to develop the request for proposals in August 2025.
Exact will also help the district with its science, technology, engineering and mathematics curriculum, allowing students to learn about the environmental benefits of solar power.
The board will consider a resolution at its meeting Wednesday authorizing administrators to explore the bond market, with final approval of the resolution expected at the March meeting.