Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Transportation topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Spring ISD estimates $1.2M–$9.6M to meet SB546 seat‑belt mandate; board to submit district data to TEA
Summary
Transportation officials told trustees Spring ISD has 88 buses without three‑point seat belts; retrofitting eligible buses would cost roughly $1.2 million, replacing older buses could cost upwards of $8–9.6 million, and administration recommended submitting required data to TEA while noting the cost is not feasible under the current deficit.
Transportation leaders told the Spring ISD Board of Trustees on Jan. 6 that recent state legislation (SB 546) requires every school bus to be equipped with three‑point seat belts for every passenger by Sept. 1, 2029.
"Every school district in the state of Texas is being asked to do this," Transportation Director Christina Riojas said as she reviewed the fleet inventory and vendor estimates. District staff said the fleet totals 254 buses; 88 of those buses do not have three‑point seat belts. Of that group, 36 buses are eligible for retrofit (vendor quote approximately $35,000 per retrofit) while 52 are unlikely to be retrofitted because of vehicle age.
District estimates presented to the board indicated retrofit costs of about $1.2 million for eligible vehicles and replacement costs for the ineligible buses ranging from roughly $8 million to $9.6 million depending on scope and options. Operations staff warned of statewide supply constraints, lead times of 8–10 weeks for retrofits, and the potential for higher costs and longer delays if many districts seek the same retrofitting service at once.
Trustee Durant called the requirement "an unfunded mandate" as trustees discussed the district’s budget deficit and competing priorities. Administration recommended the board submit the required fleet data to the Texas Education Agency and asked trustees to note that a full replacement/retrofit program is not financially feasible within the current budget.
Deputy Superintendent Westbrooks and transportation staff said they will pursue all available cost savings (stripping parts from decommissioned buses for reuse) and will monitor the state’s response on potential funding or grant support as TEA aggregates district data and determines next steps.
Board members did not approve a funding source at the work session but agreed administration should submit the SB546 compliance data to TEA as required by law.
