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Hoehne superintendent recommends not pursuing EPA electric school bus grant, cites cost and maintenance concerns
Summary
Superintendent Joseph DeAngelis told the board the EPA Clean School Bus grant does not cover full bus purchase and charging infrastructure costs; local maintenance capacity and vehicle range issues reported by a nearby district prompted administration to recommend against applying at this time.
Superintendent Joseph DeAngelis told the Hoehne school board on Dec. 17 that administration does not recommend pursuing the EPA Clean School Bus Program grant because the grant payment likely would not fully cover the purchase and ongoing support costs for an electric school bus.
DeAngelis said a new electric school bus costs roughly $400,000 while the grant discussed would provide about $325,000, leaving a substantial gap the district would need to pay. He added that installing charging infrastructure and providing staff training would add further expense, and that there are no local companies to service electric buses; a local towing company indicated it would have to transport a bus out of the area for service. DeAngelis also reported that a neighboring district that has an electric bus has experienced significant mileage and range issues between charges.
On that basis the administration recommended not to move forward with applying for the EPA grant at this time. The recommendation was presented as an administrative planning decision; no formal motion or vote specific to the grant was recorded in the minutes.
The board did not commit to a future reconsideration date in the minutes; the administration’s recommendation leaves open the possibility the district could revisit electric-bus adoption if costs, infrastructure, or local service capacity change.
The next step for transportation planning was not specified in the meeting record.
