Another costly state mandate: School districts grapple with expensive state-mandated school bus three-point seat belt requirement by 2029
The amount of time students spend on a school bus – either on a home to school and back route or to one of the many extra-curricular activities that take them all over the region – is staggering. To ensure the best possible safety, a state bill requires all school buses to have three-point seat belts for every passenger, including the driver, by Sept. 1, 2029. Passed during the 89th Texas Legislature, Senate Bill 546 strengthens standards for school buses transporting students in Texas and eliminates the option for two-point belts entirely.
The law requires school districts to report by May 29 what type of belts each bus has – none, lap belts, or three-point – and what it would cost to bring any buses up to the three-point standard. With the data, the state can review the expenditures and plan for possible future support.
At this time, the retrofitting of existing or purchase of new buses with the required seatbelts is an unfunded mandate. In the case of many Bosque County schools, the cost incurred to comply is detrimental to their already meager budgets.
The Meridian Independent School District’s Board of Education discussed the high cost of retrofitting or replacing buses and the potential impact on the district’s budget during their April 20 monthly meeting.
The district has only one route bus equipped with three-point seatbelts. The activity buses do have three-point seat belts. Thanks to a TURF grant with a 20-percent match by the district, MISD will be able to purchase three 71-passenger buses.
The district has five 34-passenger buses that would cost $18,180 per bus to retrofit for a total of $90,900. The 60-passenger bus would cost $32,938 to retrofit. And there are six 71-passenger buses that would cost $35,726 per bus to retrofit. The total cost to retrofit all the buses adds up to $338,194.
“As a general rule, [school buses] are not super unsafe, like they don’t have a lot of accidents, and they don’t roll very easily, so it’s very unlikely that you’re going to have an accident,” MISD superintendent Dana Davis said.
While retrofitting is pricey, replacing the buses with new vehicles would cost between $140,000 and $170,000 per bus, totaling $1,875,000. million.
And added complication is, by adding seatbelts to the existing buses voids their safety warranty because they’re not built to have seat belts attached to them.
“My personal conclusions are, that along with our current budget deficit, it would deplete our fund balance to replace for school buses and retrofitting older buses,” Davis said.
In her opinion no area school can afford the expense, and many are hopeful that the next legislative session, armed with the information provided by the schools, will offer financial relief.
Following discussion, the Clifton ISD’s Board of Education April 20 agreed to report to the state that the required upgrades were “not reasonable” or not financially feasible within the current budget.
CISD superintendent Andy Ball presented information showing that the district currently has six
buses that are not eligible for retrofitting with three-point seat belts and would need to be replaced entirely. Ball told trustees that updated estimates had increased the cost of new buses
from approximately $150,000 to about $160,000 each. Ball said the district’s estimated total cost for compliance would exceed $1 million, including both bus replacements and retrofits for two buses eligible for upgrades.
Ball explained that districts statewide are reporting their projected costs to the state, which could later influence possible grant funding or legislative assistance.
Ball also noted that the district recently purchased a new-generation bus featuring upgraded safety technology, including collision-avoidance systems similar to those found in modern passenger vehicles.
Valley Mills ISD has seven buses without seatbelts, one with two-point seat belts and three already complying with the three-point seat belt requirement. The approximate retro-fit cost would be $250,000 and replacement cost would be $1,200,000.
“We’re hoping TEA and the State of Texas, after passing this new law, will realize the extreme costs that will be involved and provide school districts with financial assistance,” Valley Mills ISD superintendent Chris Dowdy said. “This should not be another unfunded mandate.”
Morgan ISD has five buses, none are equipped with three-point seatbelts.
According to Morgan ISD superintendent John Bulllion, the total cost to retrofit is between $150,000 and $200,000, and retrofitting would likely void all manufacturer warranties. The total cost to replace all buses would be between $700,000 and $750,000.
“We currently do not have a plan to retrofit or replace our buses,” Bullion said. “We have heard that funds may be allocated to help with these costs in the next legislative session. However, I am doubtful that any additional allocations of funds will fall short of retrofitting all buses statewide and would not even come close to replacement costs.”
School districts will be able to participate in a grant opportunity related to seat belt installation, but no details were as yet released on how that would be implemented. School districts are explicitly authorized to accept private funding, including gifts, grants, and donations, to implement the requirements.
Under current law, school districts could opt out of the seat belt mandate for certain bus models based on financial constraints or vehicle warranties. Senate Bill 546 removes outdated model-year exemptions and revises the criteria for financial exemptions.
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