Hyde Park board outlines plan for 17 zero-emission buses, schedules Nov. 19 voter referendum

Assistant Superintendent Linda Steinberg presented the district's financing plan for purchasing 17 zero-emission school buses and urged the board and community to vote on Nov. 19 so the district can secure federal and state grants.

Steinberg said the EPA awarded Hyde Park "$3,400,000.0, to be used towards the purchase of 17 buses at $200,000 each," and described additional incentives including NYSERDA's New York School Bus Incentive Program (NISBIP), charger grants, and a direct-payment tax credit under the Inflation Reduction Act. She summarized the district's calculation that, after stacking the available grants and credits, the net cost to the district for all 17 buses would be about $522,200—roughly $30,700 per bus.

Those figures, Steinberg told the board, depend on several competitive awards and timing rules. "In order for us to take the $3,400,000 of the EPA grant, we have to have a purchase order in place before November 29," she said, explaining the Nov. 19 voter referendum is scheduled so the district can meet that deadline if voters approve the purchase.

Why it matters: State procurement rules and a zero-emission procurement mandate are shifting bus purchasing nationally; New York has signaled it will not provide state aid for non-zero-emission buses purchased after July 1, 2027, which affects future eligibility for state reimbursement. District officials said they are pursuing grant funding now because awards are competitive and not guaranteed.

Details and funding sources: Steinberg outlined the major elements of the plan she presented to the board: - EPA award: $3,400,000 total for up to 17 buses ($200,000 per bus). - NYSERDA NISBIP grants: eligibility cited as "$257,250" (program caps per district and a limit of 10 grants were discussed); the district plans to stack NISBIP grants with EPA funds when possible. - Inflation Reduction Act direct payment: district eligible for up to $40,000 per bus, as described in the presentation. - Charger grants: staff said the district qualifies for the largest available charger-grant tier (cited in the presentation as $65,000) and noted chargers cost under $12,000 each; remaining grant funds could be used for garage electrical upgrades or paving. - State aid: presenters said the state covers roughly 59%–60% of bus purchase cost when applicable; staff also noted some precise aid amounts would be applied against invoices and reimbursements would follow the upfront capital outlay.

Staff explained the cash-flow mechanics: the district would use approximately $2.2 million from its capital reserve to issue the purchase order and then apply for the grant reimbursements, charger grants and tax credits, resulting in the net $522,200 figure presented. "We would not borrow for that and we would not have any tax impact for that amount," Steinberg said, adding the district has $10,000,000 in its capital reserve.

Public questions and staff responses: During public participation, residents pressed staff on whether the district must buy all 17 buses now or could buy a smaller number (nine buses were discussed as an alternate scenario), on utility demand charges and on the resale/trade-in value of electric buses. One commenter summarized the central concern: even if grants offset much of the cost, the district is still spending reserve funds that otherwise remain district assets.

Steinberg and other staff answered that the 17-bus purchase reflects (a) an identified set of buses to retire that met EPA program rules and (b) a rare opportunity to stack multiple competitive awards. She said a fleet-electrification engineering study concluded the district's garage could support up to 22 chargers and that Central Hudson (the utility) had been consulted about infrastructure needs; staff also said they would follow up with additional details on demand charges and on resale/trade-in practices.

Next steps: The board scheduled a special capital-expenditure vote for Nov. 19 at Haviland Middle School (polls 6 a.m.–8 p.m.) with a special board meeting to follow. Staff told the board that if voters approve the purchase the district could place the EPA-required purchase order before Nov. 29 and pursue the stacked grants and credits described in the presentation. If voters do not approve the authorization, staff warned those competitive grants may not be available in later cycles.

Closing note: The presentation emphasized that the grants discussed are competitive and that accepting them requires meeting external deadlines. The board also announced a community chat Nov. 13 for further public dialogue on the buses and other district matters.