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Venus ISD outlines $1.2 million cost to comply with SB546 seat-belt mandate for school buses
Summary
Board staff told trustees that the state law requiring three-point seat belts on school buses leaves Venus ISD with 16 buses to retrofit and four buses too old to upgrade; estimated retrofit and replacement costs total about $1.2 million before grant offsets.
Venus Independent School District staff told the board on April 20 that state law SB546, effective Sept. 1, 2025, requires three-point seat belts on any vehicle classified as a school bus and that the district’s current fleet will require substantial work to meet the deadline.
Staff said the district has 49 buses: 29 already have three-point seat belts, four have only lap belts, and 16 have no belts. Four buses are too old to be retrofitted and will need replacement. Retrofit cost estimates range from $30,000 to $45,000 per bus; staff estimated retrofitting 16 buses at about $630,000 and replacing the four non-retrofittable buses at about $580,000, for a combined projected cost of approximately $1.2 million.
The transportation presenter explained the retrofit market is still evolving: some contractors must replace seat frames and floorboards when installing three-point systems, which raises prices; other vendors are developing techniques that avoid full floor replacement and lower costs. The district has applied for and received one clean-bus grant and expects buses that are placed in service for two years to qualify for future grants. Staff estimated the current clean-bus grant level at about $106,000 per qualifying bus and noted three buses in the district could reduce net cost by roughly $336,000 if those grants are secured.
Board members pressed staff on timing, fleet valuation and options for auctioning retired buses. A board member characterized the requirement as “another unfunded mandate by the state of Texas,” and the transportation presenter said the district has until the 2029–30 school year to complete retrofits, giving the district some time to phase purchases and pursue grants and auctions.
No formal vote was required on the discussion item; staff said it will continue work on grant applications, rotate bus assignments to even out mileage, and return with further procurement and financing recommendations.
What’s next: staff will continue applying for competitive clean-bus grants, model phased retrofit/replacement schedules, and bring funding options back to the board for formal consideration.
