By the numbers: a data bank on education trends for district leaders: this month: energy.

In 2001, energy expenditures for school districs were nearly $8 Billion

Energy Actions

During FY 2002, districts took various measures to improve
energy efficiency

Renovated or retrofitted existing facilities                        47%
Locked in rates with one or more energy vendors                     44
Participated in consortia to negotiate with third-party vendors     33
instituted or increased fees to use facilities                      15
Closed schools or sent students home early for at least one day
per week                                                             6

Budget Shortfalls

When they encountered budget shortfalls, districts:

Reallocated funds from other programs                               75%
Used an unappropriated surplus                                      53
Used a large portion of non-personnel budget                        46
Raised school taxes                                                  8
Rolled over the unbudgeted amount to the next fiscal year            8
Used short-term loans                                                7

61% of districts reported a shortfall in energy funding for FY 2001

37% of districts believe they have a long-term energy problem

ENERGY
EXPENDITURES
PER PUPIL

2000      2001      2002

$137      $166      $176

Rural vs.
Urban

Per pupil energy expenditures in 2001

Urban              $154
Suburban           $164
Rural              $190

SIZE MATTERS

"Likely to experience an insufficient energy budget"

Smart district      56%
(1 to 2,499)

Midsized district    7
(2,500 to 9,999)

Large district      80
(10,000 or more)

Regional Power

2002 energy expenditures, in billions

Northeast 1.7

Southeast 1.6

Central   2.0

West      2.8

Source: National Center for Education Statistics, Effects of Energy
Needs and Expenditures on U.S. Public Schools, 2003, nces.ed.gov