The Iola school district will enter a lottery to see if they can get two electric school buses for about half the price of one diesel bus.
Board members, though, still have questions about the buses.
The electric buses are offered through a grant from the Environmental Protection Agency as part of the 2021 bipartisan infrastructure law that allots $5 billion to help school districts replace diesel buses with cleaner versions such as electric buses. The goal is to protect children from harmful air pollution and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
USD 257 was invited to apply for a grant in a new round of funding for 2,700 buses for more than 280 school districts nationwide. The buses are awarded in a lottery system.
With the EPA grant and other funding, the district would pay just $72,000 of the $870,000 cost for two electric buses, a charging station and installation. A new diesel bus can cost about $130,000.
There’s no guarantee the district will get the buses. But also, Superintendent Stacey Fager noted, there’s no guarantee another grant or program that pays for such a large portion of the cost would come up.
Board members agreed to apply for the grant but still aren’t sure if the district is ready to make the leap to electric.
Transportation Director Aaron Cole offered a cost analysis that shows the district would save about $6,770 per year on savings between the cost of electric versus fuel and oil for diesel buses. The electric buses come with a seven-year warranty, including the battery, and have at least a 10-year life span.
Board member Robin Griffin-Lohman noted the savings would almost cover the district’s costs for the buses, plus reduce the amount of harmful exhaust fumes released into the air and around students.
Board members John Wilson and Tony Leavitt were concerned about the cost to replace a battery. Cole couldn’t find a reliable cost estimate but such batteries are likely to cost tens of thousands of dollars.
They also wondered about performance during sub-zero temperatures. Fager said he had talked to electric vehicle owners who had no issues during the recent arctic blast. Board chair Jennifer Taylor noted diesel buses also have issues in extreme temperatures.
Fager spoke to the superintendent of Caney Valley schools, which is receiving electric buses from the same program. When that district was approved last year, the grant paid the entire cost. Caney Valley’s superintendent is a proponent of electric buses and offered to speak to board members, Fager said, but had not yet received the buses at the time Fager contacted him.
Board member John Masterson supported applying for the grant.
“It’s almost too good a deal to pass up. As time goes by, the batteries will be better and cheaper. If we don’t do it, I think in three years we’ll say we missed an opportunity,” he said.
Both Fager and Cole were neutral in their recommendation, noting the electric vehicle industry is still relatively new.
