MISD achieves full compliance with Clean Buildings Performance Standard/ School briefs

May 2, 2025 4:30 pm
Mercer Island School District Capital Projects Coordinator Kathy Zurawski with Diego Rojas, an energy management engineer from Puget Sound Energy (PSE) who works with the district as part of PSE’s Commercial Strategic Energy Management program. The district’s goal is to reduce its energy consumption by 3% to 5% each year. Photo courtesy of the Mercer Island School District
Mercer Island School District Capital Projects Coordinator Kathy Zurawski with Diego Rojas, an energy management engineer from Puget Sound Energy (PSE) who works with the district as part of PSE’s Commercial Strategic Energy Management program. The district’s goal is to reduce its energy consumption by 3% to 5% each year. Photo courtesy of the Mercer Island School District

Special to the Reporter

The Mercer Island School District is the third, and currently largest, school district in Washington to achieve full compliance with the Clean Buildings Performance Standard (CBPS) across all of its buildings.

This milestone reflects three years of dedicated collaboration between the district’s facilities team led by Director of Maintenance, Operations and Facilities Tony Kuhn, Hargis Engineers’ Mike Baranick and Rachel Huffman, Puget Sound Energy (PSE) and ATS Automation.

The CBPS, enacted in 2019, set ambitious energy performance targets for large commercial buildings to reduce greenhouse gas emissions statewide. By implementing energy-saving strategies such as upgrading boilers in its older elementary schools, switching to LED lighting and investing in capital improvements, the district is setting a standard for sustainability in education.

Capital Projects Coordinator Kathy Zurawski played a pivotal role in this achievement, leading efforts in data analysis, optimizing building systems and working collaboratively with community partners to ensure compliance and drive energy efficiency across the district.

The Maintenance and Operations team — Steve Baird, Shannon Allen and Dana Parkey —played a key role in putting energy-saving improvements into action. While challenges remain — particularly with aging infrastructure — the district continues to pursue forward-thinking maintenance practices and employee engagement to extend the impact of its energy conservation efforts.

Mercer Island School District Capital Projects Coordinator Kathy Zurawski with Diego Rojas, an energy management engineer from Puget Sound Energy (PSE) who works with the district as part of PSE’s Commercial Strategic Energy Management program. The district’s goal is to reduce its energy consumption by 3% to 5% each year. Photo courtesy of the Mercer Island School District

Mercer Island School District Capital Projects Coordinator Kathy Zurawski with Diego Rojas, an energy management engineer from Puget Sound Energy (PSE) who works with the district as part of PSE’s Commercial Strategic Energy Management program. The district’s goal is to reduce its energy consumption by 3% to 5% each year. Photo courtesy of the Mercer Island School District

PSE honors Zurawski

Zurawski was recently recognized by PSE at its 2025 Commercial Strategic Energy Management (CSEM) Program Awards luncheon with the Highest Percent Savings Award. Of all PSE clients in the CSEM program, the district had the highest percentage of energy savings in Washington in the last year.

She has been at the forefront for the district in helping it reduce its energy consumption, lower its carbon emissions, and train all staff to prioritize energy efficiency. In the last three years, the district has received energy incentives and avoided energy costs totaling $302,800 from PSE.

EV chargers

In the electric vehicle (EV) realm, the district has installed new chargers at district locations. There are now 10 Level 2 EV chargers available at Mercer Island High School and four additional chargers located in the back lot of the district’s Administration Building.

Charging is available to all district staff and students during school hours, and open to the public after hours. To use the chargers, download the EV Connect app on iOS or Android.

This $170,000 project was fully funded by PSE’s Up & Go Electric for Business program.