Originally published December 14 2005
Minnesota schools now asking teachers to pay for energy used by personal appliances
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
In St. Paul, schools with inadequate energy budgets are now requiring teachers to pay for the energy required to power their coffee makers and microwaves.
Teachers in budget-stressed schools are accustomed to shelling out for paper, glue and pencils.
While school districts around the country are placing limits on personal appliances in an attempt to hold down energy costs, St. Paul's pay-for-plug approach appears to be unique.
In announcing the policy last week, interim Superintendent Lou Kanavati described the $25 per appliance annual fee as one in a series of steps to save money.
For now, the district is asking for voluntary payment, and there are no immediate plans to enforce the fee.
"I've been universally hearing from members who are frustrated at the least and insulted at the most," Ricker said.
"They say, `We bring papers home to grade and we don't charge the district for electricity at home.'"
"I may pay the fee or may re-evaluate my use of a microwave and just start bringing in cold lunches," she said Friday.
In a memo to the staff, Kanavati relayed annual estimated costs of running them, ranging from $22 for a microwave to $75 for a coffee pot.
"We're really not trying to make it miserable for people.
But it's burning electricity," said Patrick Quinn, executive director of operations for the district.
Over holiday breaks, the 100 or so small refrigerators in the district's five buildings are cleaned out and unplugged, said David Brooks, superintendent of building and grounds.
For now, he said, there's no plans for a fee.
The school board in Kenosha, Wis., went much further, adopting a policy banning microwaves, coffee pots and food making appliances in classrooms.
"It didn't seem appropriate that we were lowering temperature set points but still keeping mini-refrigerators in classrooms," said Patrick Finnemore, director of facilities in the southern Wisconsin district.
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