Riding into the Future!
KLSD Plans for its first Electric School Bus
The wheels on the bus are going to go round and round without making a sound or emitting any fumes because, next year, Katonah-Lewisboro hopes to have an electric school bus in the fleet. “Our electric bus will be quiet, emissions free and have air conditioning!” said Katonah-Lewisboro’s Director of Transportation Nora Beltran.
Residents will vote on the anticipated upgrade on May 17, 2022, as part of Proposition 2 in which the district proposes to use funds from the current year budget for a number of vehicle replacements.
Adding an electric school bus is another solid step led by the district’s Sustainability Committee, a sub-committee of the Board of Education, with the mission of educating for a sustainable future. It’s also in line with New York State Governor Kathy Hochul’s first-in-nation plan to electrify all state school buses by 2035 and requiring all new school bus purchases to be zero emission by 2027.
New EV will be quiet and emissions free
providing cleaner, healthier air for students
The new school bus won’t be the only EV on campus.
Assistant Superintendent for Business Danelle Placella and Director of Operations & Maintenance Paul Christensen have been working on installing charging stations for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles and all-electric vehicles on John Jay Middle and High School’s campus. The convenience is projected to bolster the number of electric vehicles, reducing the district’s carbon footprint.
“The district recently did a sustainability analysis,” said Placella. “We found that the biggest factors contributing to our carbon footprint are our buildings and vehicle use--both buses and cars. Some of our staff commute an hour to get here.”
The electric vehicle infrastructure, approved in the current year’s budget, will be available for staff, students and—after hours—the community. The EV charging stations will have a pay options for individual users. While the district will be charged for the electricity, it will receive payment from the EV charging station for the electricity used.
"riding into the future"
Placella, Christensen and Beltran work together to ensure that the district is eligible for all incentives. Katonah-Lewisboro plans to purchase the Thomas Built electric bus and chargers with the help of the Truck Voucher Incentive Program, administered by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority.
“While it will be strange not to hear the bus’s diesel engine turning over in the morning,” said Beltran, a former bus driver whose office is adjacent to the district’s bus lot, “I’m excited to be riding into the future!”