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Portage Township Schools is poised to spend $1 million on solar panels to get nearly $1.5 million in guaranteed energy savings.
At its next meeting, the School Board is expected to vote on the contract with Veregy for the project at Portage High School.
The selection of Veregy was announced at Monday’s meeting. Consultant Stratelign outlined the decision in a letter to Nicholas Gron, the school district’s chief financial officer.
“The submitted proposal identifies first-year energy savings of $46,669 and cumulative guaranteed savings of $1,457,946 over 20 years,” the letter reads.
Stratelign recommends seeking a federal incentive that would net 25.5% in savings, or $264,690, which would bring the net solar investment to $774,310 before service costs.
Veregy’s closest office is in Hoffman Estates, Illinois.
The company’s proposal notes the district’s desire to save on energy costs, diverting money to the classroom that would otherwise go to NIPSCO. Veregy said it has done multiple solar projects within NIPSCO’s service area, and the project manager is a Portage High School alumnus.
Stratelign said in the letter to Gron that Veregy scored 97 out of 100 under Stratelign’s criteria.
The school district is issuing a general obligation bond that includes funding for the solar project at PHS. The school needed a new roof on part of the building after an April windstorm, making it an ideal spot for a new solar installation. That way, the roof shouldn’t need to be replaced soon after the solar panels are installed.
On Monday, the board voted to adopt a $98.9 million budget for 2027. That includes $15.7 million in property taxes for operating costs and $11.5 million for debt service. The state picks up the tab for classroom instruction.
The state recommends diverting a maximum of 15% of its school funding for operating costs, including bus transportation, but Portage is planning to use only $6.2 million, or less than 11%, Gron said.
“I’m sure that’s probably unique compared to some of the districts,” board President Andy Maletta said.
The board also heard a presentation on how standardized tests are used at the elementary level, especially in improving students’ reading ability.
The IREAD test tells whether students are proficient and offers broad reporting on category strengths and weaknesses, but it doesn’t tell which skill to teach first, the best instructional strategy for the student or whether the student can consistently apply the skill in authentic reading, Jones Elementary School Principal Jon Chlebowski said.
Two years ago, the IREAD test was expanded to second graders. “This is one of the few tests we have left that actually measures basic skills,” he said. “It’s directly correlated with future success,” both in school and with life.
Looking at data for 2025 and 2026, the district improved 2 percentage points, to a 91.3% pass rate. The state average is 88.7%. The state’s goal is 95%.
Looking at Individual schools, Jones, Saylor, Kyle and South Haven saw their scores drop, but they were offset by big gains like 9.3% at Myers, 7% at Crisman and 5.6% at the former Aylesworth Elementary School.
Myers Principal Jon Evers talked about IXL, a comprehensive test that offers diagnostic information for each student and provides individualized practice.
“Getting that data is very helpful in making our determination in how we want to move forward in helping our students succeed,” he said.
“Our ultimate goal is to make them better than they were the day before,” Evers said.
“Our students are in IXL all the time,” he said, constantly having practice to close any gap educationally and getting used to taking standardized tests.
Superintendent Amanda Alaniz praised the IXL program. “It’s been really fantastic to watch,” she said.
Two years ago, the district streamlined the number of tests and assessments.
“We really have aligned,” she said. “The curriculum is tight. The assessment is tight.”
“Every child is getting the prescribed instruction they need,” about 15 minutes a day, Alaniz said.
Parents get their children’s reports for the first time at a parent-teacher conference. A form letter explaining the program is aimed at making it easy for parents to understand what their kids should work on and how the parents can help at home.
“Our ultimate goal is to intervene early,” Alaniz said.
Not only does the individual instruction help kids who need remediation, but it also gives wings to advanced students so they’re not held back while other students are being brought up to speed.
Doug Ross is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
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