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MPISD board: retrofitting buses with three‑point seatbelts is cost‑prohibitive at $1.5 million
Summary
Superintendent Judd Marshall reported MPISD's 59-bus fleet includes 32 buses without seatbelts and estimated a $1.5 million cost to retrofit all buses with three‑point seatbelts; the board voted 7-0 to deem retrofitting cost-prohibitive.
Superintendent Judd Marshall presented a detailed cost report on the district’s school bus fleet at the May 18 board meeting and recommended the district not pursue a full retrofit to three-point seatbelts.
Marshall told trustees MPISD operates 59 buses: 32 without seatbelts, 11 with two-point seatbelts and 16 with three-point seatbelts. "The total cost for retrofitting MPISD buses with three-point seatbelts for those buses that do not have them, would be $1,500,000," the superintendent reported. Following discussion, the board voted 7-0 to deem a retrofit cost-prohibitive.
Board members did not authorize procurement for retrofit work; instead the board recorded the cost estimate and approved a separate motion to purchase iPads for substitute staff during the same meeting. The minutes do not record alternative financing options or a timeline for re-evaluating the retrofit question.
