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Magnolia ISD board finds budget cannot meet SB 546 three‑point seat‑belt deadline; adopts phased‑plan resolution
Summary
The Magnolia ISD Board adopted a resolution declaring its 2026 budget cannot fully meet SB 546’s requirement for three‑point seat belts on all buses by Sept. 1, 2029, citing an estimated $13 million cost to retrofit or replace 139 non‑compliant buses; the board directed TEA reporting and a phased replacement plan.
The Magnolia Independent School District Board of Trustees on April 13 adopted a resolution finding the district’s current budget does not permit full compliance with Senate Bill 546’s three‑point seat‑belt requirement by the September 1, 2029 deadline.
Joe Dives, the district’s executive director of operations, told the board that "retrofitting or replacing the 139 non‑compliant buses in the current fleet of 151 buses would cost the district an estimated $13 million," and that the district will need additional time and potential state grant funding to reach compliance. The board voted to adopt a resolution directing the superintendent to submit the required report to the Texas Education Agency and to develop a phased replacement/retrofit plan as part of future budget planning.
The resolution says the board reviewed the fleet inventory, cost projections and multi‑year capital replacement requirements and determined full compliance by the statutory deadline is not financially feasible under current funding conditions. The board’s motion passed with recorded 'For' votes from all seven trustees.
The board’s action does not alter the statutory requirement; it formalizes the district’s finding that immediate full compliance would create a significant fiscal hardship and asks district leadership to pursue a fiscally responsible, multi‑year approach and required reporting to TEA. The resolution also directs the superintendent to provide updates as part of annual budget planning.
Next steps described in the resolution include the superintendent’s submission of fleet inventory and cost estimates to TEA and the development of a phased, fiscally responsible retrofit/replacement schedule; no specific timeline or funding source for the phased plan was adopted at the April 13 meeting.
