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Board approves $750,000 for electric-bus chargers; discussion highlights maintenance and software issues

Las Cruces Public Schools Board of Education · October 28, 2025
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Summary

The board approved community-benefit grant funding to add five electric-bus chargers and related infrastructure (award up to $750,000 under HB 32). Staff explained plans to use bidirectional (vehicle-to-grid) chargers and noted current pilot EV buses face software and maintenance challenges that the district is addressing.

Las Cruces Public Schools will move forward with installation of five electric-bus charging stations and supporting infrastructure after the board approved community benefit funding tied to HB 32 on Oct. 28.

Transportation staff reported the award amount available for the project is up to $750,000 and that project quotes were just under $700,000. The planned chargers include bidirectional vehicle-to-grid capability, which staff said could allow the district to discharge bus battery power back to the grid during peak demand and reduce net charging costs when coordinated with the utility.

Transportation staff described the district’s current EV pilot bus fleet as small and said maintenance and software updates have caused service limitations. Mr. Rodriguez (transportation) said some chargers and buses require vendor software updates and that currently only one of the existing chargers was operational during recent operations, which required charger rotation among buses and limited capacity. Kenneth Justice, president of the Las Cruces Transportation Federation, told the board the private contractor operating district buses has violated worker-safety and environmental requirements and urged the board to consider returning bus operations to district control so maintenance and safety could be better monitored.

Board members asked whether the district could train local technicians to maintain EV buses and chargers; staff said they are exploring state pilot programs that would include training, and they are coordinating with construction and facilities teams for installation. The board voted to approve the community benefit fund expenditure (motion moved by Vice President Nolan, seconded by Ms. Tonordio), and the motion carried on the floor.

The district will proceed with procurement and installation planning and said it will work to ensure chargers have the capacity and software capability to support future EV-bus expansion.