(Photo via Unsplash).
Community voting results are in regards to the Marathon Central School District’s (MCSD) proposition to purchase three electric school buses.
The Marathon community voted down on the proposition. The vote tally showed 243 people voted no, while 78 voted yes.
In October (2022), MCSD was awarded a $1.185 million grant from the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Clean School Bus program. The grant would have given MCSD the ability to purchase three electric school buses for $375,000 apiece, and $60,000 for each charging station.
Six months before (April 2022) MCSD received the grant, New York officials passed a statewide mandate that starting in 2027, all new school bus purchases must be electric. By 2035, each school district in the state must have a fleet of electric buses.
Due to the proposition not receiving approval, MCSD will forfeit the EPA grant award. Details on MCSD’s next steps remain to be seen.
Frequently-asked questions, with answers provided, on MCSD’s electric school bus proposition can be viewed by clicking here. Other information on the proposition is here.
