District hears update on electric buses, approves piggyback purchase option

At its Sept. 9 meeting the Calipatria Unified School District Board of Trustees received a transportation update focused on fleet maintenance and the district’s two new electric buses. Transportation Supervisor Mr. Flores explained the components that differentiate electric and diesel buses, described ongoing charger-port installations, and said the district continues to rely on vans when a bus malfunctions.

The board later approved piggyback Bid #2122-SC11-01-C allowing the district to purchase one or more IC Bus model CE school buses, with diesel and electric options available. The agenda materials recommend up to two diesel buses as part of the purchase. The action passed by roll call. The district’s transportation materials and the board packet note coordination with the DMV and vendors is ongoing to support the new buses’ maintenance and regulatory needs.

Superintendent Angelita V. Ortiz framed the update as part of the district’s goal “to transport students” reliably while transitioning equipment; Maintenance Supervisor B. Saiza confirmed staff have installed electrical ports for the electric buses. The board did not set a final procurement schedule at the meeting but authorized use of the piggyback bid to move forward when the district is ready.

Next steps noted in the packet include vendor coordination on charging infrastructure, continued mechanic evaluations of the electric-bus components, and standard procurement steps before delivery and fleet integration.