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Averill Park board to put bus purchases, possible electric bus to separate votes
Summary
Board members agreed to present three separate resolutions at the next meeting including one on bus purchases; discussion centered on buying six buses and keeping a separate vote on adding an electric vehicle to the fleet so voters can express their preference.
The Averill Park Central School District Board of Education agreed to bring three separate resolutions to its next meeting that will include a resolution related to bus purchases and a separate resolution on an electric bus option.
Board members said the district plans to purchase six buses in total and discussed treating an electric bus as a separate proposition so voters could weigh in. The board did not take a final vote on the bus purchase at this meeting; members directed staff to prepare the three resolutions for the next agenda: a motion to adopt the budget number, a motion related to the bus purchase, and a separate motion addressing the electric bus proposition.
Why it matters: The structure of the resolutions affects how the district spends operating or capital funds and gives the community a clear opportunity to express support or opposition to an electric bus specifically through the ballot process.
Discussion details and next steps: Board members discussed a 6-and-1 possibility—six conventional buses plus one electric—versus other mixes (for example, a 5-and-1 split was mentioned as a prior concept). Members emphasized that placing the electric bus on a separate resolution would “give the community the opportunity to maintain the bus fleet” and allow the community to “gauge the comfort level” with an electric bus at the ballot box. The board’s conversation also touched on operational differences; one board member noted an electric bus is “significantly quieter,” citing a comment from a bus driver that quieter vehicles made it easier to hear students in the rear.
No formal vote on the bus purchase was recorded in the transcript. The three resolutions were described as agenda items for the next meeting; the board asked staff to prepare the motions and related materials before that vote.
