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Crosby ISD hears transportation update and authorizes report on SB 546 seat‑belt compliance
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Summary
After a transportation update showing hiring gains but lingering tardy routes, the board authorized the superintendent to file a report regarding Senate Bill 546 compliance; administrators said retrofitting or replacing roughly 36 buses could cost about $1.6 million and that staffing needs could increase.
Crosby ISD trustees on the evening agenda heard an April transportation update and voted to authorize the superintendent to file a report related to Senate Bill 546, the state law requiring three‑point seat belts on all school buses by 2029.
In a presentation to the board, district transportation lead Mitchell said the district has hired several drivers since January — including five fully ready drivers and 11 trainees — and that ridership had increased by roughly 200 students since January. Despite hiring, Mitchell said absences in recent weeks forced staff to consolidate routes, producing longer rides and continued tardies, particularly at the middle school level.
“We brought those routes back online now and assign those to some of our new drivers to eliminate the length and the number of students,” Mitchell said, describing plans to split long routes as drivers are added.
Mitchell framed the board’s action on SB 546 as a budgetary decision. He told the board the district currently has three buses already equipped with three‑point seat belts and that it would need to retrofit or replace about 36 buses to reach compliance. He presented a vendor retrofit estimate of about $1,600,000 and warned that costs could rise over the coming years.
Board discussion centered on funding and operational impacts. One trustee urged advocacy for state support and raised the operational concern that requiring seat belts could increase the need for on‑bus supervision, especially for very young children who may not be able to unbuckle themselves in an emergency.
“I think we need to continue to advocate that this is essentially another unfunded mandate,” the trustee said, arguing the district would need staffing support in addition to capital funding.
After debate, the board voted unanimously to authorize the superintendent to file the appropriate report to TEA (motion recorded and announced as carried 5–0). Trustees and staff said they would continue to pursue driver recruitment and other operational steps to shorten routes and reduce tardies.
The board’s next budget workshop is scheduled in May, where compensation and further budget implications could be reviewed alongside projected property values and preliminary budget numbers.
The presentation and subsequent action leave open the district’s long‑term approach to compliance funding; the board’s resolution authorizes the required filing to state authorities but does not commit district funds at a level sufficient to replace the whole fleet.
