Senator McGuire’s rural school district bus replacement program doubles in funding

Video footage of Senator McGuire discussing the program: https://www.dropbox.com/s/yd5zmua01726mix/Rural%20School%20Busses%20v2.mov?dl=0​

For the past year, Senator Mike McGuire has been leading the effort to restore millions in funds for rural and small school districts to replace their dilapidated school buses.

Rural and small districts have among the oldest and dirtiest burning fleets of buses in California.

Working with the California Air Resources Board, Senator McGuire and the Board have advanced a budget proposal – along with a grant process - that would allocate double the original amount for the pilot project. The grant process is designed to meet the unique needs of small, rural school districts.

“We have spent the past year developing a grant process and funding allocation that will be successful for our rural schools – which have among the oldest and dirtiest burning school buses in the state,” Senator McGuire said. “This year’s budget proposal would bring twice the original budgeted allocation – $10 million to our state’s small schools, putting fuel efficient, cleaner burning school buses on the road which will reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions, improve air quality and health outcomes for California school kids.”

The additional funding allocation means the program will have twice the impact as originally drafted. The proposal also calls for a statewide grant administrator based on the North Coast so that the program will be run by someone who lives and works in a rural area, with the unique and special set of circumstances small, rural schools face.

Senator McGuire has led the effort to advance this pilot project and has worked collaboratively with the Air Resources Board to develop the program.

“Our rural communities are consistently left out of statewide funding proposals that institute supposedly one-size-fits-all grants,” Senator McGuire said. “We have fought hard to ensure our rural students are not left behind, especially when it comes to their health, safety, and educational opportunities.”

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, more than half of today’s school buses have been in service for over a decade. These older buses emit nearly twice as much pollution per mile as a semi-truck. In addition, buses manufactured before 1990 can send out as much as six times more particulate matter and nitrogen oxides compared to buses that have been recently manufactured. Consequently, health risks for students, especially younger children increase significantly because their respiratory systems are still developing.

Rural school districts transport a significant share of their total student population compared to larger districts. This means, per capita, rural students are exposed to higher forms of pollutants. The California Air Resources Board has stated that bus-related exposure to exhaust fumes is due to time spent commuting on the school bus. Exhaust fumes are known to be one of the leading causes of asthma.

While small and rural school districts want to advance environmental preferred transportation alternatives, these districts are challenged to afford bus replacements because they have less discretionary funding and limited access to other types of funding that urban school districts often use to replace aging bus fleets. Moreover, rural transportation costs per student are typically higher due to the greater distance rural students are required to travel to and from school.

The Rural School Bus Pilot Project allocation will be brought forward for approval by the Senate as part of this year’s budget process.c