Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Transportation topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Castleberry ISD reports fleet seat‑belt status under Texas Senate Bill 546; 10 of 21 buses need retrofits
Summary
Under SB546 reporting, Castleberry ISD said 11 of 21 buses already have three‑point passenger harnesses and 10 do not; staff noted an unfunded 2029 retrofit deadline and said the district flagged itself as unable to fully fund retrofit costs in the state portal while it develops an action plan.
District safety staff presented required SB546 reporting to trustees and said Castleberry ISD operates 21 school buses: 11 are equipped with three‑point restraints; 10 lack passenger seat belts. Presenters reviewed per‑bus mileage, replacement cost estimates and retrofit versus replacement economics.
The deadlines and funding environment: SB546 requires full‑fleet compliance with three‑point seat belts by September 1, 2029, and districts must report fleet status and estimated costs to the Texas Education Agency (TEA). Presenters characterized the 2029 mandate as unfunded — meaning districts must cover retrofit or replacement costs unless grants, gifts or donations are obtained. The district stated it had prepared its Sentinel portal submission and elected the reporting option indicating it cannot feasibly fund full compliance without external assistance.
Options and next steps: staff described tradeoffs between retrofitting older buses and replacing them, and said the district will complete a cost index that includes remaining life, past investment and parts‑availability analysis to prioritize replacement versus retrofit. The district will submit the Sentinel report to TEA by the May 29 reporting deadline and said it will pursue grants and gifts and include the issue in future budget planning.
What trustees asked: board members asked about the relative costs by bus, mileage thresholds for replacement and whether the district could seek state relief; staff said the district will pursue grants but had not yet identified a guaranteed state funding source.
