As a major consumer of electricity in Naperville, District 203 School Board members say they are adamantly opposed to the city extending its contract with the Illinois Municipal Electric Agency.
On Monday the board unanimously approved a statement urging the Naperville City Council to explore cleaner and more flexible energy sources rather than signing on again with a group that’s largely reliant on coal to produce energy.
“Climate change has wide-reaching and increasingly harmful impacts locally and across the globe, affecting school learning environments and the health and well-being of our current and future students and staff,” the position statement said. “…The board stands with students, families and community members who are calling for climate action and a sustainable future.”
The council is slated to vote Aug. 19 on the IMEA’s request that it approve a contract extension through 2055, 10 years before the current contract expires. The agency, which secures electricity for 32 communities in Illinois, has requested the early commitment because it needs time to do long-term planning and find new sources of power to replace its reliance on coal.
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Those opposed to the extension, particularly the Naperville Environment and Sustainability Task Force (NEST), say not only is there no guarantee that the IMEA will secure alternative power sources, the city has not sought bids from other electricity providers to see what other options are available. The city should not feel pressured to renew a contract 10 years before it expires, opponents say.
Earlier this year, the district adopted a Carbon Action Plan that sets a goal of net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. The plan would be unachievable if the city were to renew its electricity contract through 2055, district officials said.
Students, who contributed to the creation of District 203’s Carbon Action Plan, have urged the school board for months to do their part to helping combat climate change.
“We’ve heard from a lot of students … (who have) talked about their concerns about the climate as well as the IMEA contract,” board member Marc Willensky said. “I think as a school board we have an obligation to amplify what it is that our students are feeling and be able to communicate that to the proper elected officials within Naperville.”
Many district students have been deeply engaged and concerned about environmental issues, Willensky said.
“They understand the climate science,” he said. “They look at the world around them and they see the fires and the floods and they know that climate change is real and we all need to do our part.”
The district’s Carbon Action Plan sets an intermediate target of a 35% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2035.
The district’s greenhouse gas inventory, which was done as part of the Carbon Action Plan, found that 61% of the district’s emissions comes from purchased electricity, primarily from coal-burning power plants, which account for about 80% of IMEA’s power generation, the position statement said.
Board member Joe Kozminski said if the city were to renew its electricity contract, it would make the district’s goal of achieving net zero emissions challenging.
“I think it’s really imperative that we as a major consumer of electricity in Naperville support this position statement and oppose extending the IMEA contract,” he said.
Board Vice President Kristine Gericke said it’s not typical for the school board to weigh in on another governmental body’s decisions, but the district represents a large population of the community who are children.
“We have to look out for their future,” she said. “We are going to hand it off to them.”
Michelle Mullins is a freelance reporter for the Naperville Sun.