In October, the Biden-Harris Administration announced the investment of nearly $1 billion into cleaner, safer school buses. The grant helps nearly 400 school districts to buy more than 2,400 school buses, 95% of which will be electric. But as far as priorities go, some states see zero-emissions transportation as a back-burner agenda item.

A new report from the nonprofit CALSTART, an organization that works with businesses and governments to develop clean, efficient transportation solutions, provides a snapshot of state-level efforts to leverage electric transportation in K12 school districts. According to the report, the dataset only includes electric school buses that are either:

• Funded: Resources to support such an initiative have been awarded and accepted.
• Ordered: The district has placed an order for an electric school bus.
• Delivered: The bus has been delivered and is awaiting operation.
• Deployed: The bus has been placed in operational service and is running in service.

Here’s a look at the five states that have adopted the most ESBs since Sept. 2021:

1. California: 1,689
2. Maryland: 336
3. Florida: 218
4. Virginia: 152
5. New Jersey: 90

And states with zero ESBs:

• New Hampshire
• West Virginia
• Wisconsin
• Kentucky
• Louisiana
• Idaho
• Arkansas
• Wyoming
• South Dakota
• Nebraska
• Kansas

States like Illinois, New Jersey, North Carolina, Connecticut and New York also saw the largest increases in purchases between 2021 and 2022 as awareness and support grew.

“Despite some of the barriers to adoption, such as the upfront costs, school districts have more support available to them than ever to help ease the transition to electric school buses,” CALSTART’s ESB National Program Managager Rachel Chard said in a statement. “It’s clear from the data that school districts are eager to electrify with increases in adoption and program participation happening across the U.S.”

How to cut costs with ESBs

Electric school buses can cost more than triple the number of traditional buses, the report notes. The average ESB can cost anywhere from $270,000 to $400,000. However, the authors offer four recommendations to help leaders make the most of their transition to an all-electric fleet:

• Repowering school buses: A simple alternative to purchasing newly built ESBs, repower companies can remove unnecessary elements from former internal combustion engines and replace them with a “high-voltage electric drivetrain system and batteries.” Doing so reduces the cost of a new ESB upfront.
• Collaborate: Partner with nearby transportation services that already have an electric fleet.
• Look for opportunity: Are ways to pilot programs with local companies that can help share startup costs? For instance, one Michigan-based company is partnering with the Michigan Public Service Commission to “develop a pilot program that focuses on solving the high upfront cost of batteries for electric transit buses,” the report reads.
• Leverage statewide “green banks”: These entities reward environmentally smart institutions with grants and loans.

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As the CEO of EverDriven, a tech-enabled alternative transportation provider that works with school districts to supplement the bus system, I’ve seen firsthand how secure, consistent, and agile transportation can help both students and districts successfully navigate these challenges. By utilizing alternative vehicles, districts can support student success by providing a way to achieve better attendance. Solving logistical and financial burdens for families with unique transportation needs ultimately increasing their access to equal education.

Back to school is a great time to observe and understand the challenges associated with coordinating student transportation. Here are three observations we have seen as we have worked with school districts around the country to navigate the complexities around student transportation.

1. Expect the unexpected with students

Between Aug. 1st and Sept. 16, our drivers completed more than 21,000 unplanned student trips for the districts we serve. Why? Because life is full of unexpected events.

Students transfer to different schools at the last minute for a variety of reasons. For example, children experiencing housing insecurity often change addresses, even going outside the district, yet still require transportation to and from school. In fact, research shows that 10% of a state’s student population, on average, will switch schools often, with poor and rural children being disproportionately affected.

These events create challenges for districts and therefore the need to reassess the most efficient and effective ways to get kids to school. In some cases, it can be challenging for district buses alone to meet these unexpected demands, therefore many districts choose to partner with a contractor to supplement to bus service.

A commitment to safety combined with proprietary technology enables districts and parents to know exactly where their students are while being transported and gives them the ability to easily schedule and adjust trips based on their transportation needs at any given time.

2. Prioritize consistency and stability to navigate critical driver shortages

All students, but especially students with disabilities, thrive on consistency. However, critical driver shortages are posing a challenge. To combat this, many districts have added an alternative transportation solution to handle disruptions and meet the various transportation needs of all their students.

By doing so, they have added a sense of stability in their daily routines, sending the same driver to the same students, whenever possible, and picking students up in the same vehicle every day. This can help reduce stress and set students up for a happier, more productive day at school.

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Prioritizing consistency and stability will also benefit parents, who deserve to know that their child is in the care of a familiar person and in a familiar vehicle each day. A vetted and trained monitor—provided either by the district or the contractor—can keep the student and driver safe and provide support for a calm ride. Prioritizing consistency and support in transportation can go a long way to maintaining a sense of trust between parents and the districts.

3. Hold your partners to the same high standards

It goes without saying that any transportation professional would want to partner with companies that have the same high standards when it comes to student safety, data security, and communication. Setting the bar for vetting qualified subcontracted drivers means require them to become SafeRide Certified before driving a single student. Transportation contractors can and should work with the department of education of each state to ensure drivers are meeting specific safety standards.

Technology can also allow for real-time monitoring and route planning, and it can also protect the privacy of student information. With student welfare and well-being the No. 1 priority, student safety is essential for whatever transportation solution a school district elects to use.

I think we would all agree that our education system works hard to ensure that each generation of students receives every possible opportunity for success in life. Providing families and districts with safe, reliable, and efficient transportation solutions is key to putting students in the classroom.

Solving school transportation challenges may require dedication and outside-the-box thinking, but with high-quality alternative student transportation, we are one important step closer to getting the job done.

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Reminisce that dingy smell that hits your nose as soon as you step foot into the vehicle. That one window that requires the strength of 1,000 men to open. And the seat that gets closer and closer to losing all of its vinyl protection as students can’t help but peel a little bit off each day on their ride home.

As fond as those memories are, America’s school bus fleet is long overdue for a makeover. On Wednesday, the Biden-Harris Administration announced the investment of nearly $1 billion into cleaner and safer versions. The grant, which will be distributed to nearly 400 school districts spanning all 50 states, will allow districts to buy more than 2,400 clean school buses, 95% of which will be electric.

“President Biden’s historic Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is accelerating our nation’s transition to electric and low-emission school buses while ensuring a brighter, healthier future for our children,” said Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael S. Regan. “This is just the beginning of our work to build a healthier future, reduce climate pollution and ensure the clean, breathable air that all our children deserve.”

Twenty-five million schoolchildren ride the bus each day, according to Vice President Kamala Harris. Soon, they will climb aboard one that sets them up for a healthier future. “We are witnessing, around our country and around the world, extreme climate,” she said. “What we’re announcing today is a step forward in our nation’s commitment to reduce greenhouse gases, to invest in our economy… to invest in building the skills of America’s workforce. All with the goal of not only saving our children but, for them, saving our planet.”

Only 1% of America’s school buses were electric last year, the Associated Press reported. However, advocacy for a more efficient bus fleet has gained significant traction since then.

According to the EPA, $500 million was initially available for clean school buses in May. However, the agency received nearly 2,000 applications for more than 12,000 buses, primarily electric, prompting the need for additional funding for this initiative.

Public health groups are celebrating the announcement after years of advocacy.

“It doesn’t make sense to send our kids to school on buses that create brain-harming, lung-harming, cancer-causing, climate-harming pollution,” said Moll Rauch, public health policy director for Moms Clean Air Force, an environmental group. “Our kids, our bus drivers, and our communities deserve better.”

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Over the past couple of weeks, several schools have reported being targeted by thieves after discovering that their buses’ catalytic converters were stolen overnight.

In Oshkosh, Wisconsin, bus routes were disrupted for the second day in a row due to theft. Parents were told they had to find an alternative option to get their kids to and from school.

“While Kobussen had made every effort to resume regular bussing for the OASD today, they had no option due to additional overnight thefts,” according to a letter to parents. We understand this is a significant inconvenience and apologize for the disruption it causes you.”

Greg Cianciolo, patrol captain with the Winnebago County sheriff’s office, said they received a call around 6 a.m. Thursday regarding the second break-in at Kobussen Buses, impacting their Oshkosh fleet. According to reports, 27 converters were stolen Wednesday night. Eight were stolen overnight Tuesday and two buses were damaged.

“This is an unfortunate situation and the OASD appreciates all that Kobussen is doing to manage and problem solve,” according to a statement from the district. “Due to catalytic converter thefts impacting Kobussen’s entire Oshkosh terminal, there is no busing to or from school Thursday, September 29, for any Oshkosh Area School District students.”

Fortunately, the district is able to use buses from other schools that aren’t in session Friday. Kobussen is working on repairing the affected buses, but there has been no indication yet that they will be ready to go by next week.

Little Axe Public Schools in Cleveland County, Oklahoma faced a similar situation just days before the start of their school year in August. Four converters were stolen, according to Superintendent Jay Thomas. Two belonged to work cars and the other two belonged to buses for students with special needs.

“It was a low thing to do,” he said in an interview with KOCO News 5. “These kids depend on this bus—they have to. We don’t have another replacement for that bus. It has a wheelchair lift on it and it runs every single morning and every single evening.”

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On Monday, Sept. 19, in Burlington County, New Jersey, police were on the lookout for the suspects who stole nine converters from school buses over the weekend. The incident occurred near Moorestown High School. Fortunately, transportation for Moorestown Township Public Schools was not affected, according to Superintendent Michael Volpe.

“With the buses targeted, it looked like some of our most vulnerable students would have been most affected,” he said in a statement. “However, dedicated members of my team spent almost all weekend working, coordinating with the county, and assuring that these buses could get fixed.”

Catalytic converter theft has steadily increased, according to Cianciolo, especially among larger vehicles since they contain larger amounts of highly sought-after metals. Repairs can cost districts several thousands of dollars, depending on the number of converters stolen.

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More than half—53%—of public schools reported “feeling understaffed” entering the 2022-23 school year, according to a School Pulse Panel survey conducted in August by the National Center for Education Statistics. Difficulty hiring special education teachers and transportation staff were among the biggest drivers of school staff shortages.

Those shortages are being felt the most in the West with nearly 60% of schools saying they are understaffed; meanwhile, the Northeast appears to be experiencing the least pressure, with 48% of schools reporting a shortage.

The top four reasons cited for vacant teaching and non-teaching positions are the same:

• Too few candidates applying for open positions
• A lack of qualified candidates applying for open positions
• Candidates felt the salary and benefits were not sufficient
• Applicants turned down positions for reasons other than salary and benefits

Administrators reported that, over the summer, the open positions they found most difficult to fill were for the subjects of foreign languages, computer science and special education. Here’s the full list, starting with positions that administrators ranked as “very difficult” to staff in August:

1. Foreign languages: 51%
2. Special education: 48%
3. Career and technical education: 48%
4. Math: 45%
5. Physical sciences: 43%
6. Computer science: 40%
7. English-as-a-second language/bilingual education: 40%
8. Biology or life sciences: 39%
9. Music or arts: 31%
10. English language arts: 24%

Nearly half—44%—of public schools reported full- or part-time teaching vacancies in a similar survey conducted in early 2021. Outside of teaching, transportation staff, custodians and mental health professionals were the hardest positions to fill, according to the more recent survey.

Looking at the overall employment landscape, 60% of schools said they had not been able to fill vacant non-teaching positions since the beginning of the COVID pandemic. Nearly half said the same about open teaching positions. Just over a third of schools reported losing full-time teachers since the onset of the pandemic.

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On top of all that, add bus driver shortages.

Despite continuous efforts to create incentives to recruit and retain bus staff, several districts started their first week of classes without a full roster.

Such was the case for Wayne Public Schools in New Jersey, whose bus drivers earn a starting salary of $29 to $31 an hour, including full medical benefits during their first year of employment.

Other school districts in New Jersey are reportedly “scrambling” to fill their vacancies, offering up to $35 an hour plus perks.

According to the latest data from the Institute of Education Sciences’ School Pulse Panel Survey released in March, almost 30% of all public schools reported having transportation vacancies for the 2022-23 school year. Additionally, 61% of all public schools said it would be “very difficult” to fill those vacancies, and 98% overall say they would have some level of difficulty.

A survey released last month by the RAND Corporation also found that nearly 60% of districts reported they were still actively working to employ more bus drivers.

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Why is it so difficult to employ bus drivers? According to the researchers from the RAND survey, it’s because of the competition. “We suspect drivers are still likely experiencing shortages because of competition with other employers for low-wage workers,” the researchers wrote. “Workers’ health concerns about being in group settings, plus the more onerous qualification requirements relative to other positions, might also fuel these shortages.”

Washington Township schools in Indianapolis are also facing “extreme” driver shortages this year. Superintendent Dr. Nikki Woodson released a video to frustrated parents explaining the situation. “As a district, this is not how we wanted to begin the school year and certainly not indicative of the service that we want to offer our families,” she said in the video Tuesday. “Adding to these complexities we are currently experiencing, we have a high number of bus driver absences on certain days, which have impacted the entire system.”

Parents also received a note from the district explaining that one-third of their drivers called out of work on Wednesday. “All families are encouraged to find alternative transportation to school if possible to avoid the potential delays due to bus driver shortages,” the letter said.

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Oregon’s Beaverton School District increased their drivers’ base pay to $23.39. For comparison, a 2019 report from School Bus Fleet found that the national average hourly pay for bus drivers was $16.67. Each year, Beaverton’s drivers’ hourly pay will increase, eventually capping out at nearly $30 an hour.

Buffalo Public Schools in New York is considering paying parents to drive their children to school rather than having them ride the bus. The district proposed reimbursing parents 58.5 cents per mile.

Mitch Bowling, CEO of Everdriven, a pioneer in alternative student transportation, says there are five systemic shifts that have contributed to an increasing need for expanding transportation options. The first shift he addresses is the expansion of school choice. “More parents have school choice than ever before,” says Bowling. “That creates a need for students to go out of the district. That’s much for efficiently done through an alternative transportation provider.”

He also says there is an increasing number of students who are homeless or displaced.

“One of the challenges is those students are sometimes aren’t consistently in the same place, unfortunately for them,” says Bowling. “We have to adapt to that change and work with that student when they need a change of venue.”

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Thirdly, he adds that the population of students with special needs is growing faster than the general education population of students, thus enhancing the importance of offering various solutions for transportation.

Then there is the impact the pandemic has had on the bus shortage. “After COVID, there’s been more of a school bus shortage than prior to COVID,” he says. “After COVID, we saw enormous growth in the company and the need for our services.”

Lastly, states are adjusting their alternative transportation requirements for schools, which opens up more challenges and opportunities for districts. He says they’re requiring special needs students to have transportation services that are on par with general education students.

Despite the state of the economy and driver shortages, he says alternative transportation will continue to be an important issue, especially to be able to adequately serve students with special needs.

“With the economy hopefully recovering, that still doesn’t change the fact that the special needs population continues to grow,” says Bowling.

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In a webinar sponsored by TransACT last week, Director of Transportation for Farmington Municipal Schools Billy Huish spoke on how his district is adjusting to these challenges to save miles and reduce fuel costs. Farmington faces unique difficulties as many students in the district live on Navajo reservations. These homes are often very spread out and lack mailing addresses.

Huish provided insight on how Farmington schools have adapted to these challenges to keep costs low and drivers happy:

Consolidate routes

By mapping out bus routes, schools should check to see if there is any overlap in their bus routes that may be resulting in excessive fuel use.

“We were able to reduce our fuel usage by making our routes more efficient,” said Huish. “We may not have saved that many miles, but by rerouting we were able to save fuel and time for our drivers.”

Taking steps to consolidate routes is especially important for large school districts like Farmington. Huish said his drivers average 6,000 miles a day and over 1 million annually. To ensure their is no overlap between routes, they use Travel Tracker to help map and pin point students’ homes that have no mailing address.

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Make the driver’s job easier

Schools struggling to maintain a consistent team of drivers should consider their drivers’ workload. Huish says they don’t want their drivers to spend extra hours planning routes and updating rosters.

“Drivers used to have to hand draw a map and hand write their route descriptions and their student rosters,” said Huish. “We print out their roster sheets and attendance sheets, we print out a map and put it in a book for them and it’s kept in their buses.”

Farmington schools use PowerSchool to keep their routing programmer updated on any roster changes so that their drivers are aware of those changes the following day.

Use accessible federal funding

In most circumstances, federal funding cannot be used for transportation services, according to Dr. David Holbrook, executive director of federal programs and state relationships at TransACT Communications. However, during the COVID-19 pandemic, three laws totaling over $190 billion were implemented to provide funding for K-12 education, according to Holbrook, that schools can use for transportation needs as long as they address an impact caused by the pandemic, such as driver shortages. These laws are The Cares Act, Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund (ESSER) and the American Rescue Plan (ARP).

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And, as most educators know, less healthy and comfortable classrooms are much less conducive to learning.

On the way to school, diesel buses create other health concerns, both for the students on board and those who live in the neighborhoods where the vehicles travel. In fact, diesel exhaust exposure can cause increased school absences. Now, $500 million worth of help is on the way for K-12 leaders who want to create cleaner buildings and buses. That’s the size of the Building Better School Infrastructure grant program launched this week by the Biden Administration to assist schools in making clean energy upgrades such as energy-efficiency retrofits, electric school buses and resilient design.

The overall goal of the initiative is to help schools promote the science of learning and development, which shows students are more likely to thrive when safety, belonging and health are at the center of school climates, the administration says. “Public K-12 districts spend roughly $8 billion a year on energy bills—the second-largest expense after teacher salaries,” the administration says. “Energy efficiency improvements to HVAC systems, lighting, insulation, and other energy upgrades can not only protect the health of our children but also unlock significant savings to go toward students and learning.”

K-12 leaders should know about these five key components of the Building Better School Infrastructure initiative:

1. More efficient, energy-saving schools: The Department of Energy’s $500 million grant program will fund comprehensive energy efficiency audits, HVAC and lighting upgrades, clean energy installation, and training to help staff operate and maintain new equipment. The program will prioritize rural and high-poverty schools, and help district leaders leverage additional private, philanthropic, and public funding to maximize facilities projects.

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2. Improving air quality: To help schools access funding and technical assistance, the administration is releasing a map of the infrastructure resources available across the federal government. The administration has also announced the first round of honorees in its Efficient and Healthy Schools Campaign, which provides technical assistance for air quality improvements. The districts are:

• Adams 12 Five Star Schools, CO
• Boulder Valley School District, CO
• Charleston County School District, SC
• Columbia Public Schools, MO
• Davis School District, UT
• Greenville County Schools, SC
• Mariposa County USD, CA
• Newark Board of Education, NJ

3. Expanding clean transportation: The $5 billion Clean School Bus Program, which launches later this spring, will include technical assistance to school districts that are adding clean and electric buses to their fleets. The Environmental Protection Agency is producing webinars to show district leaders how to apply for the clean bus grants. The Department of Transportation is also helping communities find funding to create safer routes for students to walk or bike to school.

The Electric School Bus Collaborative—created by AASA, The School Superintendents Association, the Association of School Business Officials International, and the National Association for Pupil Transportation—will provide additional assistance to districts seeking Clean Bus grants.

4. Supporting rural, tribal and Puerto Rican schools: The Department of Agriculture will leverage its array of rural development loans and grants to help these districts acquire electric buses and charging stations and make other energy-efficiency investments.

5. Training and workforce development: School construction projects will be accompanied by new investments in training workers in trades that can lead to better-paying careers. These initiatives will also target under-resourced schools and communities.

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At the same time districts were struggling to find enough bus drivers to bring kids to school, many families also stopped using public transportation for fear of contracting COVID. Prior to the pandemic, transportation was already the largest attendance hurdle, particularly for students who had to walk through high-crime areas or faced long commutes, according to a new report from Brown University’s EdResearch for Recovery team.

A decline in student engagement was another major challenge of the pandemic as a lack of internet access cut some families off completely and teachers struggled to transfer the in-person learning experience to the virtual classroom. The new research also details a number of less well-known reasons for absenteeism not directly caused by COVID. For instance, attendance is lower in schools where asthma rates are higher and the weather is colder. And children who experience more frequent conflicts with teachers and classmates are more likely to miss school, the report says.

Beyond the academic impacts of absenteeism, students who miss school regularly show less self-efficacy, eagerness to learn and social engagement. These impacts are more pronounced among low-performing and low-income students and English learners.

To reverse these trends, many district leaders are already working to improve the school climate. For instance, in high-crime areas, administrators can encourage students to walk to school in large groups that can be supervised by educators or other adults. Districts can also develop transportation plans that incorporate ride-share services and are targeted toward students experiencing homelessness or those living in foster care.

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Here are several more attendance strategies detailed by EdResearch for Recovery:

1. Home visits. These give teachers, nurses and other educators insight into why children are absent and can also improve relationships with families.
2. Communicating with parents. Pairing detailed and timely information about a child’s absences with positive messages about their schools has been shown to improve attendance. Text messaging is a particularly effective way to connect with parents who are unaware of the extent of their children’s absences.
3. Breaking down ‘morning barriers.’ Schools can help families navigate the logistics of getting children to school by providing laundry services and coordinating ride-shares. Another step in this process is to have teachers or educators greet students when they arrive at school.
4. Access to health care. Schools see better attendance when they can provide dental care, vaccinations and other medical care to students. Improved ventilation will also help prevent medical conditions that cause absences.
5. Culturally relevant classrooms. Students are more engaged, and more likely to show up, when their schoolwork connects to their identities and life experiences. When it comes to special education, students are more likely to miss school when they are segregated into special needs classrooms.
6. Mentors make a difference. Students are more likely to come to school when they can look forward to working with a mentor or role model. Schools can develop mentorship programs in-house or work with community organizations.
7. Creat absence intervention teams. Districts can form teams that comprise educators, social workers and other community organizations to diagnose and respond holistically to the many causes of chronic absenteeism. The teams should use data to pinpoint a student’s academic and behavioral issues.

Educators, however, should not push for perfect attendance. In fact, research shows that rewarding perfect attendance in one month can lead to lower attendance the next.

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