“School district superintendents, board members and educators understand the environmental goals of the transition to zero-emission school buses to reduce vehicle emissions statewide, but they also understand the financial and logistical impacts this transition will have on their schools,” said Brown. “School districts work in absolutes rather than maybes when it comes to their budgets. The challenges this transition will force on schools—challenges related to cost, electrical capacity, infrastructure, energy efficiency, weather and difficult terrain—are unpredictable, vary district by district and should not be left to each individual school to tackle without any support from the state.”

“Zero-emission school buses cost anywhere from two to four times more than traditional internal combustion engine buses. One analysis found the cost would be between $8 billion and $15.25 billion for school districts to switch from gas-powered to all-electric buses. However, this cost does not even consider infrastructure and facility upgrades associated with the switch.”

“New York state is incredibly diverse both socioeconomically and geographically, and our school districts reflect these differences. We must address growing concerns from school districts statewide so we can either re-evaluate this mandate or allow school districts to opt out if they choose to do so.”