Public hearing to discuss electric school buses for Onondaga Central Schools

ONONDAGA, N.Y. (WSYR) — Members of the community affiliated with the Onondaga Central School District took the chance to learn about emission-free school buses on Thursday evening, Nov. 21

“This is the public’s choice,” Superintendent Rob Price said. “As Superintendent, the school district doesn’t have the authority to purchase the buses without the voters’ approval.”

The community has to decide between two propositions. Option one has two 66-passenger electric school buses and one 30-passenger gasoline. Option two has two 66 and one 30-passenger gasoline engine buses to purchase.

Ginny Grome is a retired bus driver who has driven schoolchildren in the district for over 30 years. She said she is concerned after hearing about incidents involving electric vehicles catching on fire.

“Because of the length of time you have to get your students off of the bus when you have a fire…you have approximately three minutes and you know when you have children, they don’t go where you want them to go necessarily,” Grome said.

But Price said the children’s safety is his number one concern.

“It’ll give an opportunity to put these buses on the road, put them to their tests, and see what they can handle on our shortest routes and within some of our hilliest routes,” he said.

New York State is mandating by 2027 that all new buses sold in the state must be zero emission and all buses on the road must meet this standard by 2035.

The school bus referendum is taking place on Tuesday, Dec. 3. Polls in the Onondaga Central School District will be open from 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. Voters can visit the Rockwell Elementary School gym or the Jr./Sr. High School cafeteria lobby.

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