Google Donates $600,000 to Stillwater Public Schools for Energy Efficiency Upgrades and Classroom Equipment
Stillwater Public Schools announced a $600,000 donation from Google to support local education and energy resilience efforts across the district. The funding includes $500,000 for energy efficiency upgrades throughout school facilities and $100,000 for new classroom equipment for Kindergarten and first grade as well as Stillwater High School.
The investment will help the district implement a comprehensive LED retrofit initiative to reduce long-term energy costs while enhancing learning environments for students and teachers. The District anticipates reducing energy consumption by 2,447,476 kilowatt-hours, which will lead to an annual cost savings of more than $342,600.
“We are excited to welcome Google to our community and grateful for their commitment to supporting our students,” said Tyler Bridges, Superintendent of Stillwater Public Schools. “The cost savings from the energy-efficiency upgrades will allow us to reinvest in academic programs, technology and infrastructure, while the new equipment will have an immediate impact on student learning and engagement at the elementary and high school levels.”
Energy efficiency upgrades funded by the donation include converting outdated fluorescent, incandescent and metal-halide lighting to energy-efficient LED systems, upgrading the emergency lighting infrastructure, retrofitting parking lot and stadium lights on key athletic facilities and enhancing district-wide signage.
The new funding will allow the District to purchase Chromebooks for kindergarten and first-grade students providing them access to reading and math tutoring programs.
A new high school College and Career Pathways computer lab will support students who are seeking career pathways in business, computers, fashion and government to build their portfolios.
This donation comes as Google recently announced plans to build a new data center in Stillwater at the intersection of Perkins and Richmond Roads. The new site is part of the company’s $9 billion commitment to expand its cloud and AI infrastructure in Oklahoma over the next two years.
“As we expand our presence into Stillwater, we’re proud to support students and educators with tools and cost-saving programs that help schools succeed,” said Kate Franko, Google’s regional head of data center public affairs. “Stillwater Public Schools’ forward-thinking approach to energy stewardship helps create a more resilient, sustainable future for the whole community.”
About Google in Oklahoma
Google has proudly called Oklahoma home for more than a decade and operates data center facilities in Mayes County and announced a new data center site in Stillwater. Through programs and local initiatives that utilize Google’s tools and expertise, they’re working to help businesses, educational institutions, community collaboratives, nonprofits, and individuals create and thrive in a sustainable, knowledge-based economy. Since 2006, Google.org has awarded over $5 million in funding to Oklahoma organizations and nonprofits.
