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Sharyland ISD says retrofitting buses with seat belts would cost more than $1 million; new buses to include belts
Summary
Superintendent Dr. Howard told the board that retrofitting the district's existing bus fleet with seat belts would exceed $1,000,000, so the district will not retrofit current buses but will require seat belts on newly purchased buses to comply with a new ordinance.
Sharyland Independent School District Superintendent Dr. Howard told the school board the state had asked districts to consider retrofitting existing school buses with seat belts, but district estimates put the cost to retrofit the current fleet at "over $1,000,000," and the district will not proceed with a retrofit.
"After we have researched the cost to do that, it would cost the district over $1,000,000 to retrofit all of our current fleet of buses with seat belts," Dr. Howard said. He added the district will comply with a new ordinance that requires all newly purchased buses to be equipped with appropriate seat belts.
The superintendent framed the decision as a fiscal one: rather than retrofit the current buses, the district will purchase future buses already equipped with seat belts. No vote on a retrofitting program was recorded; Dr. Howard presented the information as a staff recommendation and an operational decision.
The discussion came during the superintendent's report; the board did not take formal action on a retrofit plan during the meeting. Board members did not request a recorded vote on the item, and no implementation timeline or estimated per-bus cost for future purchases was provided at the meeting.
