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Board approves LCISD plan to meet state bus seat-belt mandate
Summary
Trustees approved the district plan and funding approach to meet Senate Bill 546 requirements for three-point seat belts on school buses, with administration saying the work will be funded from the 2022 and 2025 bond programs and implemented ahead of the 2029 deadline.
LCISD transportation staff presented the district's compliance plan for Senate Bill 546 and the board approved the plan and funding on March 17. The plan calls for retrofitting some newer buses with three-point seat belts and ordering new buses to replace older inventory, using funds from the 2022 and 2025 bond programs.
Transportation staff outlined the current fleet breakdown as of the February 2, 2026 inventory and described the district approach: of the buses reported in inventory, administration said 242 have three-point belts, 140 have no belts and 36 have two-point lap belts; the district will retrofit 42 newer buses and order 64 new buses funded from the 2025 bond. The presenter stated a retrofit line item of $1,750,000 to add three-point belts to 42 buses and estimated the total program cost at roughly $24,000,000. Staff said 70 buses are already on order for delivery by June 1, 2026 and that all buses would be three-point by Aug. 1, 2027, ahead of the 09/01/2029 statutory deadline. The plan must be submitted to TEA by May 26, 2026.
Trustees asked whether the legislature provided funding; staff said it did not and described the funding mix from bond proceeds. The board voted to approve the plan and funding (motion made by Trustee Henderson, seconded by Trustee Royce), and the motion carried 6-0.
