Superintendent: district exploring regional transportation hub and waiver delays 0-emission bus purchases

The superintendent updated the board on transportation planning arising from the state requirement to transition to zero-emission buses. He said he and a neighboring superintendent met with Senator Galvin to explore whether state funds could support a regional transportation hub that would make infrastructure installation more cost effective across districts.

He reported that the district learned there are two-year waivers related to when diesel purchases must cease and noted the waiver need not be submitted until next year; the waiver would apply to the following year if submitted early. "So that that's the good news because, hopefully, we'll continue to learn more and and get to a level of, well, I'll call it sanity quite frankly," the superintendent said. He added that after the 2027 school year the district must begin transitioning to zero-emission buses and that by 2035 the fleet must be fully zero-emission.

The superintendent said the district will need to consider capital planning, fire-suppression and charging-station infrastructure and that timing and approvals from state education authorities would be required for major capital work. He noted the board will add a second April meeting (April 28) to allow BOCES component votes and that more information will follow as state guidance and funding clarity emerge.