Back in July, we took note
of an interesting development in Central Illinois' McLean County where
a local school district used a new wind farm to generate
desperately-needed education money. Encouragingly, other districts are
following suit. Construction on a similar farm straddling neighboring
Bureau and Lee counties is moving ahead and school officials already
estimate that the 114-acre "Big Sky" project will bring in enough money
to bail out a struggling local district. Ohio High School Supt. Sharon
Flesher tells the News-Tribune that she estimates an additional
$803,000 will flow into her district once the project is complete;
another $735,000 will be freed up for local grade schools. That kind of
money would double the high school's operating budget. But Flesher noted that the district won't keep all of the money:
"One of the first things we want to do is reduce taxes in the community. The community has supported this school at a very high tax rate for a long time. This is the board’s way of being responsible and saying thank you,” Flesher explained.
The Big Sky project serves as a reminder of how wind development can provide crucial benefits to rural communities. If it weren't for the impending boost in tax revenue, local school officials would surely be cutting costs or merging the strapped district with another nearby. Instead, they are entertaining ways to strengthen Ohio High's curriculum:
Jack Piper, who served on the Future of Ohio High School committee, suggested that in addition to lowering tax rates, the wind farm dollars could be used to hire more teachers and pay them more competitive salaries. Also according to Piper, the high school could even offer scholarships to all Ohio High School graduates, providing each student with several thousand dollars to help pay for college or vocational school. This opportunity might attract new families to the community, he said.
With new wind-development legislation now signed into law, we may be hearing many similar stories in the coming years.
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