District transportation staff told the Pearland ISD Board of Trustees on Dec. 9 that new state requirements under Senate Bill 546 (effective Sept. 1) remove the prior model-year exemption and require three-point lap-shoulder belts on all school-bus seat positions. The district presented the required inventory and cost analysis and asked the board to adopt a resolution to report the findings to the Texas Education Agency.

As of Dec. 1, 2025 staff said Pearland had 188 vehicles in the fleet: 62 fully compliant vehicles, 99 regular-education buses without three-point lap-shoulder belts (including spare and athletic buses), and 27 special-needs vehicles equipped with lap-only belts that do not meet the three-point requirement. Transportation staff summarized that 126 vehicles are currently noncompliant with SB 546.

Using the district's most recent purchase price of about $150,000 per bus, staff estimated that replacing the 126 noncompliant buses at current prices would cost about $18.9 million (staff cautioned actual quotes would likely be higher). Staff also presented retrofit quotes from two manufacturers ranging roughly from about $32,050 to $41,000 per full-size bus, estimating an overall retrofit cost for the 119 buses that manufacturers said could be retrofitted at roughly $4.28 million; staff noted 26 buses cannot be retrofitted due to manufacturing constraints.

Staff warned of practical constraints including part lead times (approximately 10 weeks), about 60 labor hours per retrofit, limited manufacturer capacity statewide and the district's existing capital renewal plan (CRP) that normally replaces about 12 buses per year. Superintendent and transportation staff proposed phase-in options: accelerate purchases (for example to 15 buses per year if funded), perform targeted retrofits on buses within service life, or a hybrid approach.

Trustees asked about seating capacity changes after retrofit and the district's plan to assign newer buses across routes. Transportation staff said modern seatbelt-ready seats and adjustable shoulder straps generally allow manufacturers to maintain seating rows and that the district assigns newer buses by driver seniority and rotates assignments approximately every three years.

Because no dedicated state funding was identified, staff asked the board to approve a resolution declaring that Pearland ISD is not currently financially able to comply immediately with SB 546 and to forward the district's inventory and cost report to TEA. Trustees voted to approve the resolution in open session (motion carried 6-0 with Trustee Stuckey absent).

The board action is a reporting step required by law; staff said they will return with CRP options and any recommended funding changes or retrofit contracts for future board consideration.