San Antonio ISD receives federal funding for electric school buses

Some San Antonio Independent School District students will be soon be on a cleaner route to and from campus.

The Environmental Protection Agency on Monday revealed that it’s awarded SAISD $5.925 million to purchase 15 electric school buses. The grant is part of the federal agency’s Clean School Bus Program, which has allocated nearly $2 billion for public schools to purchase environmentally friendly buses since 2022.

“Electric school buses protect students’ health, reduce emissions that are fueling the climate crisis and benefit school districts by saving money in fuel and maintenance costs,” Luke Metzger, executive director of advocacy group Environment Texas, said in an emailed  statement.

Metzger continued: “This new round of federal funding is a chance for school districts to better serve their students and their communities — and to become more environmentally sustainable. The number of grant applications for this program shows us that schools are ready to go electric — they just need the resources to get there.”

A total of 18 Texas districts, including Fort Worth ISD and Austin ISD, will receive EPA funding this yearto purchase a combined 165 electric buses.

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This article appears in Dec 27, 2023 – Jan 9, 2024.