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Board finds full compliance with SB 546 not currently feasible; instructs administration to file report
Summary
After a presentation on retrofit costs and fleet condition, trustees voted 7-0 to declare full compliance with Texas Senate Bill 546 (school bus seat belts) not currently feasible and authorized staff to submit the required TEA report and a compliance plan targeting 2029.
Mercedes ISD’s Transportation Director, Macario Mejia, presented the district’s assessment of Senate Bill 546 seat-belt requirements and a draft compliance plan during the May 19 board meeting.
Mejia reviewed cost estimates for retrofitting 20 older buses, the district’s fleet status and the financial hardship of retrofitting aging vehicles. He said the district’s plan prioritizes retrofitting lower-mileage buses and purchasing newer buses as replacements, and includes a compliance timeline that targets 2029. Trustees discussed the high retrofit cost per bus and the prospect that aggregated reports from districts could prompt state funding assistance.
After discussion, Trustee Oscar Hernandez moved and Marcos J. Garcia, IV seconded a motion declaring that full compliance with SB 546 is not currently feasible and authorizing administration to submit the required report to the Texas Education Agency. The motion carried 7-0.
