Photos courtesy of Umatilla School District
A rural school district which used to have to cancel school when the heating went out is celebrating two new state-of-the-art buildings.
Since 2004, Energy Trust has given more than $49.4 million to public K-12 schools across the state. Every amount saved on building upgrades and energy costs can be reinvested right back into the classroom. One of the most recent districts to take part is the Umatilla School District (USD) in Eastern Oregon.
Like many districts across Oregon, USD is working to support students and the greater community on a limited budget, while facing the challenge of maintaining aging buildings and managing energy costs. However, by partnering with Energy Trust, USD has found a way to turn energy efficiency into sustainable savings that can then be reinvested back into the schools and students.
“Any amount that we can save is always a benefit to students, creating schools where kids feel not only emotionally supported and cared for, but also physically,” said Heidi Sipe, Umatilla School District superintendent.
Here are examples of current and past projects Energy Trust supported:
- During summer 2025, Umatilla High School completed its Career and Technical Education building, which will hold art, business, manufacturing and production classes. The district leveraged bond funds approved by voters in November 2022, along with cash incentives from Energy Trust to equip the high school with efficient HVAC, lighting and lighting controls, water heaters and building controls. Since 2006, Energy Trust has given an estimated $258,000 in cash incentives for projects at Umatilla High School.
- Also during the summer of 2025, the district celebrated the completion of Columbia Vista Intermediate School, which will serve grades four through six and offer science, technology, engineering and math programs for students. Leveraging 2022 bond funds, combined with approximately $16,500 in incentives from Energy Trust, the school is equipped with efficient HVAC systems, lighting and controls and water heaters.
- The district replaced the HVAC controls to more efficient controls at McNary Heights Elementary which is currently undergoing updates to convert to a Kindergarten through third grade school. It was a key investment in creating a comfortable, modern learning environment for its students.
- Using funds from a 2016 bond, the district worked with Energy Trust to renovate Clara Brownell Middle School, built in the 1940s, with new HVAC controls, lighting and other upgrades to bring new life and efficiency into the longtime school building.
“Clara Brownell didn’t have HVAC, had never had air conditioning. It just had window units in each classroom,” said Sipe. “The boiler was from 1947, and we used to have to fly a technician in whenever there were repairs needed because he was the only person who knew how to work on that boiler.”
Sipe says before the upgrades, they would have days where they had to cancel school because they didn’t have heat, so it was a priority to get the longtime school upgraded. The changes are noticed well beyond school leadership.
“When we were walking through Clara Brownell, one of the middle schoolers was like, ‘that’s my favorite thing.’ He pointed at a duct, like the fact they were going to have heating and cooling was such a big deal to him,” said Sipe. “That’s not something you would expect a seventh or eighth grader to tune into, but it was on his radar.”
Finding ways to save energy in operations
Beyond upgrades, USD worked with Energy Trust through the Strategic Energy Management (SEM) program, offering long-term coaching for districts to identify ways to improve energy efficiency, while getting staff and students engaged on how to save energy around their school buildings with no and low-cost solutions. Programs like SEM help schools improve their energy savings each year.
By partnering with Energy Trust and prioritizing energy efficiency, USD is not only reducing its environmental footprint but is also demonstrating how a commitment to sustainability can translate into direct, tangible benefits for the students and the entire Umatilla community.
Click here to learn more about Energy Trust’s support for schools or email existingbuildings@energytrust.org.