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Mansfield ISD notifies state it cannot fully fund costs to meet SB 546 bus seat-belt deadline
Summary
MANSFIELD ISD told the state it lacks funds to retrofit or replace all buses to meet Senate Bill 546's Sept. 1, 2029 three-point seat-belt requirement; district reported 280 of 317 buses are compliant, 37 spares are not, and estimated costs are approximately $355,600 to retrofit or $6.1 million to replace.
MANSFIELD, Texas — MANSFIELD ISD presented an update on compliance with Senate Bill 546 and adopted a resolution informing the state it cannot currently cover the unbudgeted costs needed to bring every bus into compliance.
Rita Denton, Executive Director of Student Operations, told trustees that Senate Bill 546 requires Texas school buses to be equipped with three-point seat belts by Sept. 1, 2029. Denton said the vast majority of the district's fleet is already compliant: out of 317 total buses, 280 already have three-point seat belts, leaving 37 spare buses that do not meet the new standard.
Denton presented two district cost estimates for addressing the remaining noncompliant spares: roughly $355,600 to retrofit the 37 spare buses, or about $6.1 million to replace them entirely. She described student safety as "our absolute top priority" and said the district lacks state funding to absorb those substantial, unbudgeted expenses.
The board "adopted a formal resolution acknowledging a current financial inability to cover these unbudgeted costs," according to the brief. The district will submit the compiled data to the state, which Denton said will review the status of Texas school districts and determine next steps. The transcript does not include a vote tally, motion language, or the name of a mover and seconder for the resolution.
Next steps identified in the brief are limited to the district's submission to state officials for review; the state will decide any further requirements or relief.
