BRICK – The Brick Township Board of Education has voted against acquiring a $7.8 million grant to buy electric buses.
After months of deliberation regarding the purchase and whether it would benefit the district, the February 20 meeting ended with the board failing to pass the lease purchase agreement.
It was previously announced that the State Department of Environmental Protection would provide the grant. The district was considering buying 25 electric school buses through a grant from the federal Environmental Protection Agency.
The grant would cover the costs of the electric school buses and the related charging station infrastructure, according to Brick Township Schools Business Administrator James Edwards.
Throughout the months leading up to this decision, the various pros and cons of purchasing the electric buses were discussed with the board’s finance committee.
Superintendent Thomas Farrell expressed his opinion multiple times to the board members and community how the state grant would save the district money due to a cost difference with maintenance and fuel. The finance committee went back and forth with how many buses to purchase, as some board members were uncomfortable with buying so many buses.
According to the district, 25 54-passenger buses would be about 40% of the district’s fleet of buses that size. Farrell noted that 25 buses were not a mandated number to purchase, however it seemed that amount was a break-even point.
“Jackson School District has electric buses but not many. The reason why it was not cost effective is because they didn’t get the quantity they needed that pays for the infrastructure to payback,” Farrell said. “The 25 buses were not mandated in the bid; it was something Mr. Edwards calculated in the break-even… Because of the large amount of infrastructure, the payback really only works with the 25 buses and taking the $7.8 million.”
Some board members and residents raised concerns regarding the safety of the electric buses. Apprehension was mainly around the buses’ lithium-ion battery as well as the buses performing during snowy/icy conditions.
At the February meeting, residents spoke out about the risk of putting students in electric buses due to its newer technology and its unreliability, highlighting frequent breakdowns, battery malfunctions, and software issues. Other residents spoke against this, stating these batteries are safe. One resident noted he asked the VP of the NFI Trucking Company, who said that 99% of the batteries you see catch fire were caused due to the battery being damaged, typically from a car accident.
Those interested in viewing the district’s full report of detailed cost analysis, which includes FAQs, can find it on the district’s website: brickschools.org.
Before voting, board member Alison Kennedy explained why she was in favor of purchasing the electric buses.
“I spoke ad nauseum with Dr. Farrell about this topic. Am I nervous about these buses’ years from now and their repair costs, yes. However, I am also nervous about tomorrow and I’m nervous about next year and what our kids need and what our teachers need. I feel that turning this down that we’re saying no to extra money in our budget for next year,” Kennedy said.
“I was very torn in this… with the recommendation of Dr. Farrell – who I do trust and respect his fiscal knowledge – I cannot say no. We need our teachers, and without them we’re in trouble,” Kennedy added.
Board member Mike Mesmer said he’s not against electric buses, but against the number of buses the district proposed to purchase.
“I was pushing to try and get five or 10 buses for the district. Twenty-five buses are 40% of our fleet. From the vendors I spoke with they’ve never delt with that many buses in an order before. I had no confidence that we’re even going to get the buses. It could be years before we get the buses,” Mesmer said.
“We have no margin for error. If we enforce this and go with the 25 buses and it doesn’t work out, our district is in a lot of trouble. That’s ultimately the main reason why I’ll be voting no,” Mesmer added.
The meeting concluded with the board voting 4-3, not passing the lease purchase agreement of electric buses.
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