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Beacon board hears update on electric buses, routes and driver recruitment
Summary
Board members were briefed on the district's two electric buses and charging stations nearing commissioning, ongoing route testing, and driver recruitment efforts including job pamphlets and potential parent recruiting.
District staff told the Beacon City School District Board of Education on Oct. 20 that two electric buses and two charging stations are in place at the district garage and are awaiting data commissioning so the buses can be delivered.
A facilities presenter said the chargers "need data" and the district has contracted a company to enable telemetry and commission the chargers. Once commissioned, the vendor will deliver the buses and provide staff training and fire/rescue training, the presenter said. "All of this has to be done before. They will not deliver a bus that we can't utilize," the presenter said.
District staff said the plan is to run the two buses on multiple routes to gather real‑world battery and range data to identify which routes best suit electric vehicles. "The plan right now is to use those 2 buses on multiple routes to see which would be the best routes to use," a presenter said. Staff noted variables include route length, whether buses must return midday for charging, and how many stops are required.
The board was told expanding beyond two buses would require a capital project: additional chargers, electrical infrastructure upgrades from the utility and likely voter approval for bonding. A facilities consultant noted the district would need architect plans and possible garage changes to add more chargers.
On recruitment, HR staff and transportation staff said hiring drivers remains the district's most challenging staffing area. The HR team described outreach including printed job pamphlets for local businesses, online promotion through Schoolfront and social media, and earlier spring posting of vacancies. Student representatives and board members noted compensation as a factor: a student said some parents who are drivers told her the district does not pay as well as neighboring districts; HR staff confirmed the district increased hourly rates last year but competition from private carriers persists.
Staff also reported operational improvements in transportation scheduling: a field‑trip workflow was moved to an online scheduling system that centralizes approvals from principals, transportation and nurses and reduces manual calls and paperwork. The district is also exploring parent bus‑tracking software that would send texts to parents when a route runs late.
Board members asked for further updates on route testing, charging logistics and the timeline for commissioning. District staff said the buses and chargers should be ready for commissioning in a matter of weeks and that social media and a public event will follow delivery.
