At its April 13 workshop meeting, the Tomball ISD board of trustees discussed the district's plan to implement a new requirement for local Texas school districts to only use buses that contain three-point seat belts. The mandate stems from Senate Bill 546, which passed during the 89th Texas legislative session.
The cost
Originally, there was an exception to the seat belt rule for certain school buses with a model year of 2017 or earlier, Chief Operating Officer Steven Gutierrez said. The new bill eliminated this exception, meaning that TISD currently must calculate the total cost required for its new buses and submit it to the Texas Education Agency by May 29.
Gutierrez said TISD has a total of 205 school buses in its fleet. Of that 205, around 103 buses do not meet the new standard set under SB 546.
Guiterrez said that TISD has two routes it can go down in order to meet the new requirements: retrofitting buses or purchasing new buses. After reviewing the numbers, the cost to retrofit the 103 buses would be $3.24 million to $4.9 million. The cost for the district to purchase 103 buses would be $14.42 million—$140,000 per bus.
Items worth mentioning
Guiterrez also noted in his presentation an issue of liability that was brought up when the district reached out to vendors for quotes regarding retrofitting the old buses.
“There is specific language on these quotes to say, 'We will do the work, but we are unwilling, or won't, bottom line assume liability,'” Gutierrez said.
After discussing with the district's general counsel, Gutierrez said that TISD would be held responsible for any injuries that could occur as a result of the new seatbelts.
Based on the May 29 deadline, TISD may have an opportunity to apply for a grant to help cover some of the costs of the bus upgrades, Gutierrez said.
As part of his presentation, Gutierrez recommended that TISD submit to the TEA at the upcoming May board meeting that they do not have the funds available to comply with the new law.
