The Wappingers Central School District, the ninth-largest district in New York, is working toward an entirely electric bus fleet, but has called on the state to address potential roadblocks to its long-term goal.
In a letter, Superintendent of Schools Dwight Bonk and Board of Education President Marie Johnson wrote to the New York State Public Service Commission, the district supports the state’s goal of going zero-emission for school transportation.
The goal is to improve air quality and reduce the school’s environmental impact due to its transportation operations.
Yet the district noted its responsibility to the taxpayers and families and considered the implications of this transition.
The district provides transportation service opportunities to approximately 11,000 students and claims to be the largest district-owned and -operated transportation fleet in the state, with around 261 school buses.
From the potential cost to service disruptions, both Bonk and Johnson say the district’s goal is to ensure reliable, safe and fiscal sustainability as the district’s buses go electric.
“I remain deeply concerned that our District can meet the timeline in the current legislation by transitioning all of our vehicles, over 250 to electric by 2035,” Bonk said in an email statement April 11. “This must be addressed quickly so the transition can be done safely, effectively, and efficiently. It is not feasible for Districts our size or for our community.”
Thus, a plan is needed, and the Wappingers Central School District shared its support for a much larger, regional entity, the Lower Hudson Education Coalition, which has petitioned the NYS Public Service Commission to start a “dedicated informational proceeding at the earliest opportunity,” according to the letter.
Why has this come up now?
The Lower Hudson Education Coalition, which started this process, is a regional leadership hub in public education advocacy, including regional councils of school superintendents and county school board associations, according to the website.
LHEC requested the NYS Public Service Commission start an “informational proceeding,” as per the letter, to look at the readiness of their district’s electric utilities, to support the move to zero-emission busing under New York State Education Law § 3638.
In short, this Education Law § 3638, according to the New York State Senate, states that by no later than July 1, 2027, all New York school districts must only purchase or lease zero-emission school buses, and no later than July 1, 2035, every state school district will only operate and maintain zero-emission school buses.
Additionally, under the law, in the 2024-25 academic year, every school district had to begin submitting an annual progress report to the commissioner on the implementation of these zero-emission school buses.
Wappingers Central School District sent its letter in support of the LHEC’s petition.
How does WSCD plan on making zero-emission busing possible?
The Wappingers Central School District, served by Central Hudson, completed a Fleet Electrification Plan in 2025.
The district’s plan to go zero emission for buses requires eight stages to accommodate their vehicle fleet, across three transportation compounds.
However, those bus compounds currently don’t have enough power. It’ll take a 2.5MW utility transformer and 560kW of additional power to make electric buses a reality.
Plus, the district’s recommended charger stations, switchgear, service and distribution equipment for all three locations, as well as “significant site work,” like trenching of asphalt during the district’s three initial phases, will cost a hefty capital cost: $134 million-$140 million.
As well, the district does not have lead time estimates for getting this new service from Central Hudson, which are costs and timelines the district claims they cannot control, but still directly affect the district’s ability to meet the legal deadlines under Education Law § 3638.
“It is for these reasons that we support LHEC’s petition,” Bonk and Johnson state in the letter. “The critical constraint our district faces in planning for fleet electrification is not the availability of electric buses or incentive funding — it is the electric grid infrastructure required to charge them.”
What this means moving forward for WCSD
The LHEC’s petition for a dedicated proceeding, Bonk and Johnson state in the letter, would allow school districts to acquire the “reliable, utility-specific information to make responsible capital planning decisions.”
As the district’s board of education approves budgets annually and capital projects need voter approval, WCSD has taken a stance that they “cannot commit taxpayer funds” to buy these zero-emission buses and the necessary charging infrastructure “without confidence,” Bonk and Johnson state in the letter.
The district must know the electrical service required to back these purchases will be “delivered on a timeline and at a cost that our community can absorb,” according to the letter.
Bonk and Johnson state the commission is in a unique position to have utilities, like Central Hudson, provide that information and hold them accountable.
(This story has been updated to add new information.)
Nickie Hayes is Breaking & Trending News Reporter for the Poughkeepsie Journal. See her most recent articles here. Contact reporter Nickie Hayes: NHayes@poughkee.gannett.com, 845-863-3518 and @nickieehayess on Instagram.
This article originally appeared on Poughkeepsie Journal: Wappingers schools flag potential roadblocks in shift to electric bus fleet
Reporting by Nickie Hayes, Poughkeepsie Journal / Poughkeepsie Journal
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