The Halstead School District expects to replace half its diesel buses with electric buses within a couple of weeks. The district ordered three electric buses, and after the charging stations are finished, the electric buses will be added to the daily routes. Dr. Ron Barry, Halstead superintendent, ordered the electric buses after discovering a federal grant known as the Clean School Bus Program. The grant is being offered on a five-year rotation through the Environmental Protection Agency, as a way to reduce emissions from older buses that are larger pollutants. Barry said this aligned with the bus replacement program Halstead was already on. “I saw this as an opportunity for, one, being a part of our natural bus rotation but also a grant opportunity for reducing costs for us as a district,” Barry said. The district ordered the buses last winter, after receiving approval for the grant. Barry said it was one of five schools in the state to receive the grant.
Source: Harvey County Now
