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EMS ISD plans transition to in‑house transportation and says it will meet new seatbelt requirements by July 1
Summary
District transportation staff told trustees the system will be in compliance with Texas’ SB 546 requiring 3‑point seat belts on student buses by July 1 through a mix of new and used bus purchases, retrofits as needed, and bringing routing and services in‑house; the transition includes hiring dozens of CDL drivers and modest capital outlays.
District transportation staff presented a multi‑part plan to meet the state’s new bus seat‑belt mandate and bring transportation operations in‑house.
Christian Garoppa told trustees the district expects to be "in full compliance by July 1" with Senate Bill 546, which requires three‑point seat belts on buses transporting students. He said the district plans a mixed fleet strategy using newly purchased buses plus used buses purchased from Gold Star and that only a small number of existing vehicles may need retrofitting. Garoppa estimated retrofit costs at roughly $20,000–$40,000 per bus if necessary but said the district would avoid a $1.9 million retrofit scenario by replacing many units.
On operations, the district plans a fleet of about 140 buses (a mix of Gold Star used units and new International/Bluebird models), several 12‑passenger vans to reduce routing costs for small groups, and to bring services such as McKinney‑Vento transports currently provided by EverDriven in‑house to save an estimated several hundred thousand dollars annually. Staffing plans showed about 168 transportation positions overall, with roughly 100 CDL drivers needed and a recruitment pipeline of more than 95 applicants in process.
The board asked clarifying questions about older Discovery buses, SmartTag routing transitions, and whether emergency equipment and camera systems will be upgraded; staff said routing phase one would be completed by July 1 and that new buses are being fitted with cameras and smart tech compatible with district systems. No board approval was required at the presentation stage, but trustees discussed next steps and potential budget impacts.
