Concord Middle School Solar Project Pivots to Power Purchase Agreement After Grant Denial

CARLISLE — May 20, 2026 — Concord-Carlisle School Committee pivots middle school solar plan after grant falls through. The Pre-K-8 committee, meeting Wednesday in Carlisle, heard that the district's Green School Works grant application was not funded — one of 61 applicants competing for $19 million, with $18.5 million of that going to heating and cooling projects, leaving almost nothing for solar. CMLP energy specialist Jason outlined a Power Purchase Agreement model in which a developer covers all upfront costs and the district pays only per kilowatt hour consumed, with no capital outlay or financial liability. He said developers have materials on hand and a summer installation window has "not yet been missed," with the CMLP light board meeting set for June 18 as the next formal checkpoint. In a separate update, Superintendent Dr. Lori Hunter and a teaching and learning director presented an interim math curriculum needs assessment that identified the existing elementary program, Everyday Math, as no longer meeting state standards for high-quality instruction, and flagged a dedicated math specialist position as the district's most urgent near-term need — likely a budget request in the next cycle. Chief Financial Officer Bob reported that Concord Public Schools has frozen discretionary spending with the June 30 fiscal year-end approaching, citing unexpected legal costs and a costly heating season, with roughly $600,000 in circuit breaker reserves available as a buffer.