SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The Propane Education & Research Council (PERC) surprised teachers at an elementary school here with a $5,000 donation on Tuesday.

PERC said that the donation is in recognition of Elk Grove Unified School District’s efforts to maintain good stewardship of its economic and environmental resources by adding propane school buses to its fleet. The donation is part of PERC’s nationwide campaign to educate parents, teachers, and school officials about the benefits of using an alternative fuel like propane.

“Propane school buses are the clean, quiet, and safe alternative to older diesel buses, and Elk Grove Unified is a great example of the success a school district can enjoy after transitioning to propane school buses,” said Tucker Perkins, PERC president and CEO. “Plus, propane buses cost less to operate, so school districts can spend more of [their] operating budget on classroom programs.”

The $5,000 donation goes to Sierra Enterprise Elementary School teachers to help buy classroom materials through the nonprofit AdoptAClassroom.org’s online marketplace for teachers.

Elk Grove Unified transports more than 9,000 students to and from school daily and supports more than 6,000 field trips each year. The district has a total of more than 200 school buses, nine of which are powered by propane.

“We value our partnership with PERC to accomplish our mutual interests in supporting our students and environment,” said Robert Pierce, deputy superintendent of business services and facilities for Elk Grove Unified. “We are focused on expanding our school bus fleet that run[s] on green fuels to ensure lower impacts on the environment and to our students.”

PERC’s campaign, now in its third year, has donated $75,000 to teachers at school districts that have adopted propane buses.