Saratoga School District May Form Bus Mandate Committee

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Tony Krackeler, vice president of the Saratoga Springs School District Board of Education, said at a meeting last week that a new committee may be formed in order to study the zero-emission bus mandate imposed by the state government.

“It is still a complicated enough issue,” Krackeler said, “that the finance committee and business office feel it might be a good idea for the board to discuss the prospect of creating another committee to really look at the zero-emission bus mandate in a closer way, one that involves community stakeholders.”

Krackeler said it would be up for discussion as to whether the new group would be a district committee or a separate ad hoc board committee.

The bus mandate requires school districts to begin transitioning their transportation fleets to zero-emission vehicles in 2027. By 2035, all buses on the road must be zero-emission. 

In February, the district’s Assistant Superintendent for Business Robert Yusko said that electric buses cost around $400,000 apiece and that the district’s entire fleet includes more than 100 vehicles. In addition to purchasing the buses, Yusko said that “significant capital improvement upgrades” would be required to satisfy the mandate.