Trustees approved the purchase of 30 electric buses on Tuesday evening using California Hybrid and Zero-Emission Truck and Bus Voucher Incentive Project money and general fund dollars. There's about a 10-month wait time on the buses, according to the school board meeting agenda.
Associate Superintendent Tim Zearley said during the meeting that the buses, along with other sustainability projects including outdoor classrooms and shade structures with solar panels, will set up the district as a sustainability leader in the San Joaquin Valley.
"These initiatives will not only provide sustainability, but also stability," Zearley said.
An electric bus can cost two or three times as much as a diesel bus, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. But in addition to savings from diesel fuel costs, the district will save on the back end by not having to conduct other maintenance such as engine oil changes or smog checks.
Schools could help cut about 2.1 million tons of carbon dioxide annually if half of all U.S. school buses were electric, according to the EPA. The infrastructure bill Congress passed in November allocates $5 million for low- or zero-emission school buses.
The buses Modesto City Schools will buy can travel about 118-120 miles per charge, bus salesperson Gabriel Hightman said at the meeting. Five of them will have wheelchair lifts, Zearley said.
Zearley said that at later meetings, school leaders will present the board with plans for covered parking made with solar panels and outdoor learning spaces that could enhance STEM, or science, technology, engineering and math.
FUNDED PARTLY THROUGH STATE VOUCHERS
The district received 30 vouchers amounting to $6.3 million from the California Hybrid Zero-Emission Truck and Bus Voucher Incentive Project. Zearley said this number of vouchers is rare for a school district to receive.
After the vouchers, the district will spend $7,491,013 in general fund dollars freed up because of coronavirus relief money, according to the presentation.
"We kind of have an opportunity now," Zearley said.
He told The Bee on Wednesday that federal ESSER (Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief ) funds "have given us the opportunity to consider projects like this."
District officials plan to continue pursuing grants to replace additional school buses, he said.
Trustees expressed excitement about the sustainability initiatives.
"This is an exciting report and a great opportunity for us as a district," trustee Chad Brown said.
Trustee Abel Maestas said he's passionate about sustainability and excited about the projects. "This is, I think, one way to set us up for the future," Maestas said.
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