DES MOINES, Iowa – Des Moines teachers are learning a lesson about energy efficiency that’s rubbing some the wrong way.

School officials are enforcing a long-standing policy for the first time this year that requires educators to pay up for “personal convenience appliances” in their classrooms: $30 per year for a mini refrigerator, $20 for a coffee maker, and $10 per microwave, The Des Moines Register reports.

“A lot of teachers who contacted me question whether removing a minifridge in a classroom is going to make a huge difference overall in energy savings for the district,” Des Moines teachers union president Andrew Rasmussen told the news site.

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In a school district with more than 5,000 employees, officials believe it will.

“We have a duty to be fiscally responsible, and this small fee for the use of personal convenience appliances is one small contributor to that responsibility,” district spokesman Phil Roeder said.

Roeder told the Register officials considered a ban on all personal appliances in classrooms five years ago, but teachers suggested implementing the fees instead. School officials didn’t previously enforce the fees, but issued an emailed notice to teachers this week informing them that things have changed.

Des Moines educators are now required to purchase a “paid” sticker to place on their appliances.

According to district documents cited by the news site, the annual cost to run a minifridge is $153.30, while a drip coffee maker costs $123.04 a year to operate. Microwaves use $32.86 in electricity per year.

“The fees, of course, are significantly less than the actual utility costs for these small appliances, a fact that is only compounded as energy costs are rising,” according to Roeder.

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Most other area school districts don’t charge teachers to run appliances in their classrooms, though several contacted by the Register discourage or prohibit their use.

Of course, Des Moines union officials are already grumbling about the change. Rasmussen contends the appliances are a convenience for overworked teachers who don’t have time to visit the staff lounge, and the newly enforced rules are dragging down morale.

Plus, he said, many teachers already pay for classroom supplies, particularly for needy students.

State union officials are also chiming in on the issue.

“It’s a shame that schools have to charge educators extra money for having a cup of coffee or getting a snack out of the fridge in the classroom,” Iowa State Education Association spokeswoman Jean Hessburg told the Register. “Teachers are used to out-of-pocket expenses they spend just to get their classrooms up and running. It just cannot become the status quo.”

The fact is, however, that utility costs are a significant portion of the school budget, and Des Moines officials are simply trying to control those costs with the focus on using the district’s resources as efficiently as possible.

Taxpayers should commend Des Moines officials for protecting their interests by ensuring as much money as possible is directed toward things that actually help students learn.

If teachers don’t want to pay the fees, they can simply unplug their coffee pot or minifridge and join their colleagues in the staff lounge.