By Brittany L. Shaw, Correspondent

DAYTON, Tenn. —Tennessee Lottery ticket-buyers are helping save energy in some Southeast Tennessee schools.

Rhea and Polk county schools each have been awarded grants from the state’s Energy Efficient Schools Initiative, which is funded with $90 million in excess lottery money.

The program provides $22 per student in 136 districts, including Rhea and Polk, and four special districts to help schools reduce energy expenditures.

Sandy Cunningham, administrator of the Energy Efficient Schools Initiative, said utility costs are the second-greatest expense for schools.

“In a sense, we’ve all won the lottery,” she said, “because this was excess lottery money that is being appropriated to schools so they can save money.”

Director Ron Graham, executive director of the Energy Efficient Schools Initiative, said schools can use the money to pay utility bills or invest in energy-efficient measures.

“It’s a great initiative and it’s going to save the school systems millions of dollars,” he said.

Rhea County Schools received $65,290, which Superintendent Jerry Levengood said will fuel on the district’s plans for energy savings.

Mr. Levengood said there will be physical changes along with the financial savings. For instance, buildings will use heat-sensor lighting instead of movement-sensor lighting, he said.

“It’s going to eliminate having to leave lights on all over the school even if nobody’s in a particular room,” he said.

The district also hopes to borrow money to buy more-efficient heating and air conditioning units that will also help stabilize temperatures, he said. Now, one classroom might be been warm while another is cold, he said.

Over time, energy cost savings will help the county afford new schools that will be needed for growth, he said, and students will learn the importance of conservation.

“It gives us a teachable moment,” he said. “They are learning about saving energy now.”

Polk County Schools received a grant for $57,950 that it will use to upgrade heating and air conditioning, according to a news release. Schools Superintendent James Jones could not be reached for comment.

Ms. Cunningham said the energy initiative is unlike any she’s seen in 30 years working for the state of Tennessee.

“I did not realize the need that the public schools in the state of Tennessee have,” she said. “There are schools across the state that are desperately in need of money.”

Brittany L. Shaw is based in Dayton, Tenn. Contact her at bshaw0227@gmail.com.