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Preston School District reviews Green Bank plan to electrify bus fleet, eyes grants before July 15 deadline
Summary
The Preston School District Transportation Sub‑Committee reviewed a Green Bank transition plan recommending a phased switch to electric school buses to meet Connecticut deadlines (50% by July 1, 2035 for distressed municipalities; 90% by Jan. 1, 2040). The committee noted grant opportunities and infrastructure costs and will revise its capital plan.
Preston School District officials reviewed a Green Bank executive summary on June 30 that lays out a phased plan to replace diesel and gas school vehicles with electric school buses (ESBs) and install depot charging infrastructure.
The Green Bank report — prepared with technical support from CALSTART — says Connecticut’s HB 5464 requires 90% of school buses statewide to be zero-emission by Jan. 1, 2040, and requires districts in distressed municipalities (including Preston) to achieve 50% zero-emission buses by July 1, 2035 and to submit a plan to the commissioner by July 1, 2029. The report frames the transition as a health and compliance priority: Preston’s bus depot is in an EPA air-quality nonattainment area and the district reports that nearly 14% of its students have asthma.
The plan describes Preston’s current fleet as 12 school buses and five pupil-transportation vans, all diesel or gas-powered and district-owned. To meet the state deadlines the report recommends a phased approach: buy 2 ESBs in 2026 (scalable to seven if EPA or other grant funding is secured), add routed buses through 2035 to reach the 50% distressed-municipality threshold, complete the remaining bus conversions by 2040, and electrify vans by 2045 while planning for battery replacement cycles.
Operational and infrastructure implications are central to the report. Green Bank recommends sizing the depot electrical infrastructure for a fully electrified fleet from the start. The existing single-phase 120/240V, 200A service at the bus yard is described as insufficient; the report recommends installing a dedicated 480V, three-phase service, an upgrade estimated to take about five months and cost $180,000–$300,000 before incentives (higher if van charging is included). A suggested charger mix totals nine chargers (four DC fast chargers and five AC Level 2 units) to minimize midday charging.
On costs, the report shows that non‑incentivized ESBs have higher upfront and 12‑year total costs than current diesel buses, but that federal and state incentives substantially change the economics. The analysis estimates that maintenance savings (fewer moving parts) produce the largest operational savings; Green Bank’s illustrative tables show lifetime maintenance and fuel savings that partly offset higher capital expense. The minutes also note recent maintenance overruns and the high mileage on two district Dodge Caravans (recorded as 168,000 and 151,000 miles), reinforcing the committee’s interest in changing the vehicle mix.
Funding pathways highlighted include the EPA Clean School Bus program (expected fall 2026), Connecticut DEEP grant opportunities, and the Connecticut Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (PURA) Medium & Heavy‑Duty Electric Vehicle Program, whose application window is noted in the report as closing July 15, 2026. Green Bank financing is presented as a bridge and term-financing option that can eliminate upfront capital requirements by combining loans with grant reimbursements; the report provides an illustrative financing example that produces lower annual capital outlays compared with the district’s historical capital budget assumptions.
The Green Bank executive summary concludes with an action checklist and assigned responsibilities: begin an Eversource interconnection review; apply for PURA, EPA and DEEP funding; incorporate ESB and infrastructure costs into the town five‑year capital improvement plan; determine whether to use Green Bank financing; select initial short routes and begin driver and mechanic training; and coordinate emergency‑responder training. Meeting minutes record that the transportation sub‑committee will rework the capital plan based on grant outcomes. No formal motion or vote was recorded at the June 30 session.
The immediate practical deadline for the district is the PURA grant application due July 15, 2026; the committee signaled that securing grant funds will be a board and staff priority and that the capital plan must be updated to accommodate potential phased purchases and depot upgrades.
