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Keene ISD board finds fiscal hardship for SB 546 school-bus seat-belt requirement
Summary
Keene ISD trustees unanimously formalized a fiscal-hardship determination March 23, 2026, saying current district funds are insufficient to install or procure the seat-belt equipment required under SB 546 for this budget cycle.
Keene ISD trustees voted March 23 to formalize a fiscal-hardship determination under SB 546, the state legislation addressing school-bus seat-belt requirements. The motion to adopt the determination was made by Trustee Jessica McFarlin and seconded by Trustee Johanna Penick; the motion passed with five yeas and two members absent.
D. Morgan presented the district's financial analysis supporting the motion, and the board record states: "Based on the financial analysis presented, the District currently lacks the unallocated funds necessary for the procurement or installation of such safety equipment." McFarlin moved to formalize that determination, which the board approved. The vote was recorded as Donnie Beeson: Yea; Richard Bothe: Absent; Mitch Campbell: Yea; Sheri Hadley: Absent; Jessica McFarlin: Yea; Johanna Penick: Yea; Julio Vazquez: Yea (Yea:5, Nay:0, Absent:2).
Board members emphasized that student safety remains a priority but said the current state funding levels do not cover the district's projected implementation costs for SB 546, making required compliance financially infeasible during this budget cycle. The motion and vote document the district's official fiscal-hardship determination; the board did not adopt a plan for phased implementation or alternative funding at the March 23 meeting.
The board's action formally records the district's funding position and may affect timelines for compliance; the transcript does not include a staff estimate of total cost or a plan for securing funds, and those details were not specified in the record.
