Board updates electric‑bus plan; district moves from Lion to Bluebird and highlights contingencies
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Summary
After a public commenter raised concerns about electric bus deliveries elsewhere, district leaders told the board they will procure Bluebird electric buses through Highland (Central States dealer), keep gas buses as a buffer, and reported ComEd infrastructure work could take about eight weeks.
A public commenter and district leaders discussed the district’s school bus electrification plans during Wednesday’s Board of Education meeting, where administrators described changes to vendor selection, contingency provisions and electrical‑infrastructure timelines.
Resident Bob Denon urged caution, citing recent inspector‑general reports and press coverage about electric‑bus deliveries and vendor financial stress. "I'm not opposed to EVs ... is this the right choice considering the environment right now?" Denon told the board, and he referenced delivery delays and inoperable vehicles reported in other districts.
District leadership responded that the procurement plan has been adjusted since earlier vendor conversations. "We have made the decision to move to Bluebird Buses," Superintendent Dr. Smith said, adding Bluebird is the manufacturer the district already uses for its gas buses and that buying through Highland as a partner preserves contractual flexibility. District staff said they had earlier considered Lion Electric but shifted because of concerns about Lion’s operating status.
Dr. Smith told the board the district plans to take delivery in phases and keep existing gas buses available as a buffer while EVs arrive. "If we have 15 ready by the first day of school, then we will keep 12 of our gas buses until the other 12 are ready," he said. He also said the district will have contractual uptime obligations requiring vendors to repair or replace vehicles when warranted.
Officials provided specific fleet and timeline details: the district’s roughly 80‑bus fleet will include 27 electric buses under the present procurement; a majority of existing special‑education and many regular‑education buses will remain gas in the near term. The district said Central States/Bluebird buses are manufactured in the U.S., and that purchasing through Highland improved pricing compared with direct purchase.
On charging infrastructure, district staff said Commonwealth Edison representatives told them on site visits that utility work could be completed in roughly eight weeks—shorter than earlier estimates that ranged up to 18 months. Staff said ComEd has increased incentives since the district’s initial approval and that the district added contract language with Highland to allow exit rights if needed.
Board members asked about cold‑weather range, vendor responsibilities if buses are inoperable, and spare‑fleet plans. Administrators said uptime language in contracts creates vendor financial exposure if buses fail, and having a larger than usual spare fleet in the first year will reduce disruption. The district also said it has weekly project calls with Highland and other partners to track deliveries and infrastructure.
The discussion was informational; no new contractual vote was recorded at this meeting. District staff said they will return with updates and aim to host a public demonstration and information event when the weather allows.