As federal tax credits aimed at helping schools do everything from upgrading to electric school buses to installing solar panels and electric-vehicle charging stations are now set to expire years before previously anticipated, districts across the country are facing an unforeseen financial crunch, according to The Hechinger Report.
“Phasing out the tax credits for wind and solar energy is going to make a huge, huge difference,” 18-year-old Tanish Doshi told the nonprofit media outlet. While a high school student, Doshi helped the Tucson Unified School District take on a plan to invest millions in climate-friendly upgrades.
“It ends a lot of investments in poor and minority communities. You really get rid of any notion of environmental justice,” he added.
What’s happening?
Tucson has not been alone in seeing its plans land on shaky ground. Incentivized by billions of dollars worth of programs contained in the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act, school districts across the country adopted ambitious multi-year plans aimed at making their schools cleaner, healthier, and more affordable in the long term…