A nonprofit aimed at reducing greenhouse gases is standing
against a bond to purchase an electric school bus in the Croton-Harmon
School District.
The districts website details how the $447,800 bond would be
used to purchase a 66-passenger electric school bus and a 20-passenger
mini-bus.
"We are asking voters to defeat Proposition 2 because
it is environmentally irresponsible, fiscally irresponsible and it’s based on
flawed decision making," said Patricia Buchanan, co-founder of
Croton100.
Buchanan
also opposes the bus bond because it includes the purchase of a bus that uses
fossil fuels.
She says the district “ended up duping the
voters" last year. Voters approved a bus bond in 2021 to purchase three
electric school buses but instead the district only purchased one.
"So the voters really don't know...what the school will
do," she said.
Superintendent Stephen Walker tells News 12 the
district experienced challenges in the rapidly-changing grant process
that made it difficult to secure additional electric buses. He said the
district intends to purchase an electric school bus if this year’s bond is
approved.
"In designing this proposition, we kept in mind the
district's long-term commitment to environmental sustainability, as well as the
impact on our taxpayers," Walker said in a statement. "We look
forward to hearing the community's feedback on the budget and propositions on
May 17."
Croton-Harmon School District is one of a few districts in
the state that has already purchased an electric school bus. Last month, New
York became the first state in the country to enact a plan to fully electrify
all school buses by 2035.
Voters will decide whether to approve $500 million to
electrify school buses in the state. The funding is included in the
environmental bond act that will be on the ballot in November.