August 3, 2026

By Sara Millhouse

Photo submitted by Brad Berzinski

Winona Area Public Schools Superintendent Brad Berzinski was born and raised in Winona, Minnesota walking the halls and playing sports for the district he now leads. After living in the Pacific Northwest, he appreciates returning home, being close to family and camping at nearby Whitewater State Park. “I’m a little biased, but it’s a great community,” he said. 

When Berzinski became superintendent at Winona’s public schools, he took the helm of a bold new project. The district was putting in geothermal heating, cooling and ventilation systems to extend the lives of Washington-Kosciusko and Jefferson elementary schools.

While school officials need to consider dollars and cents, the new geothermal systems have given kids and teachers a better environment for learning. In school buildings lacking AC in the Upper Midwest, heat and humidity at the beginning and end of the school year can make learning miserable and sometimes impossible.

“These are both old, classic, two-story brick buildings. When the sun hits, it becomes a brick oven,” Berzinski said. “We’ve had days in the past where we actually closed school early in those buildings specifically. When it’s 87 degrees in the building, it’s not productive anymore.”

The project improved ventilation and airflow through the buildings, reducing the buildup of germs that can quickly spread sickness through classrooms. The schools can even host summer programs, which wasn’t an option before the installation of geothermal cooling.

“The temperatures have been very consistent,” Berzinski said. “These two buildings previously had no AC, no dehumidification before and had heat that was either blasting or was off, so you had these big swings.”

Before the geothermal system at Washington-Kosciusko, attempts to improve airflow meant dealing with the traffic of a busy intersection. “A lot of teachers would have amplification or projection systems in their classroom because of the outside street noise, if they had the desire to get the fresh air,” Berzinski said.

Washington-Kosciusko is squeezed in with small homes on the East End of the city. “It’s kind of an anchor of the East End of Winona,” Berzinski said. “It’s a lot of money to spend on two buildings that are 90 years old, but we’re committed to having students in these two buildings, and we want them to both be high-quality learning environments.”

The effort to update the schools’ infrastructure did have its challenges. Some residents wondered if it made sense to put more money into old buildings. Bids came in higher than estimates that had been made before the skyrocketing prices of the pandemic era.

However, the $25-million project went forward. Contractors worked through the summers of 2023 and 2024, using the opportunity to also upgrade the buildings’ electrical systems, lighting, ceiling tiles and plumbing.

Almost two years later, in the spring of 2026, Winona Area Public Schools received a check from the federal government for $5.5 million—a 30% credit on qualifying project components under the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). Winona was one of the first school districts in Minnesota to take advantage of the tax credit for a geothermal project and has received one of the largest payouts nationally to a school district.

That huge check is thanks in part to Winona Area Public Schools vice chair and former energy attorney Karl Sonneman. While others expressed initial skepticism in the district’s ability to fully leverage the tax credit, Sonneman read the bill, researched its geothermal application, connected with advocates and made a plan for how the district could pursue the credit. He even went to Washington, D.C. himself to advocate for the importance of  direct-pay tax credits alongside the nonprofit UndauntedK12.

“Inflation came around and hit us hard, but the Inflation Reduction Act, which gave us the credits, was intended to try and help mitigate some of these effects,” Sonneman said. “It’s rare to be able to so clearly draw those lines between that intention and the actual effect. This system is trying to fix things and make rural life more livable.”

“We can use this money as a springboard for some larger renovations,” Berzinski added. Using the tax credit money for facilities or other capital projects can effectively reduce property tax asking, according to Sonneman. 

As an early adopter of geothermal direct-pay tax credits, Winona Area Public Schools hopes to be a model and resource for other schools or local governments. “This project has been a great benefit to Winona, but hopefully it doesn’t just stand alone,” Berzinski said. “Maybe there’s a ripple effect to other communities as well.”

Photo submitted by Brad Berzinski