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Superintendent presses pause on EV transition, seeks nearly $3M for 25 gasoline/diesel vehicles
Summary
The superintendent asked voters to approve Proposition 2 for about 25 gasoline/diesel vehicles (just under $3 million) and warned that a 2035 state EV mandate raises unanswered questions about electrical capacity and infrastructure costs for full fleet electrification.
In the same recorded presentation, the superintendent outlined Proposition 2: a request to purchase about 25 gasoline- and diesel-powered vehicles for roughly $3 million and explained why the district is not yet prepared to commit to a large-scale electric-vehicle rollout.
The superintendent said a state regulation currently requires school-vehicle fleets to transition to electric by 2035 and described concerns about whether the district's electrical systems and local infrastructure could support that change.
"We are not confident in beginning to purchase electric vehicles," the superintendent said, adding that while the district supports an eventual green transition, it cannot commit taxpayer dollars until the electrical-capacity and charger-infrastructure questions are addressed. He used a colorful warning: "Let's not build the airplane while it's in the air."
The presentation gave fleet details: the district currently operates about 261 vehicles (154 buses, 92 vans, 22 Suburbans and four wheelchair vans). This yearthe proposal would retire and replace 15 high-mileage vehicles and add 10 more, bringing the fleet toward an anticipated 271 vehicles. Unit-cost examples offered in the presentation included student passenger diesel buses at about $181,000 and SUVs at about $72,000 each; the presenter said electric buses run "about a half a million dollars" each. The superintendent also estimated an additional roughly $140 million to install chargers and upgrade facilities to support the full transition to electric vehicles districtwide, a figure he presented as an order-of-magnitude infrastructure estimate.
Because of those uncertainties, the district is asking to purchase gasoline/diesel replacements now to maintain safe and compliant transportation. The superintendent emphasized NYSDOT requirements and ongoing bus-driver training programs as part of the district's plan to reduce reliance on contract transportation and keep routes staffed by district employees.
If Proposition 2 and the overall budget are approved, the district said the 25-vehicle purchase would cost just under $3 million and cover replacement and expansion needs cited in the presentation.
