Midway ISD estimates multimillion-dollar cost to meet Senate Bill 546 bus-seatbelt rules

Midway ISD transportation director Ken Wolf briefed the board on Senate Bill 546 and the district’s options to comply with tightened school-bus seat-belt rules.

Wolf said the district operates 73 buses in service and that 41 of those are currently noncompliant with SB 546. He outlined two basic board options: declare financial ability to replace all buses with new, compliant vehicles, or present a plan and cost estimate to achieve compliance through a mix of new purchases and retrofits.

Wolf described retrofit and replacement costs and the impact of bond purchases already underway: the district has ordered 14 new buses (about $2.3 million spent so far) but would still need additional buses to reach full compliance. Wolf said a cautious retrofit/replace plan would require about $3.8 million; buying a larger set of new buses could push costs near $6.8 million, leaving a funding gap the district expects to manage through bond funds and selective retrofits.

He also flagged supply-chain and warranty issues: certain older special‑education bus frames cannot be retrofitted safely to manufacturer warranty standards, so some aging vehicles cannot be retrofitted without self-insurance risk. Wolf noted the legislature’s timeline language is loose (no mandatory compliance by a date before 2029 was specified) and that grants could materialize but qualifying criteria are uncertain.

Trustees asked about options such as buying used compliant buses, lead times (six to 12 months), and staging purchases to use bond funds and retrofits strategically. Wolf said the plan is to make the bond-bus purchases arrive by 2029 and retrofit remaining spare buses as necessary.