Grants awarded for electric buses

Sanders County businesses have been awarded funding to purchase electric buses. A press release on Monday announced that Thompson Falls, Trout Creek and Dixon schools will benefit from the Clean School Bus Program grants.

Funding for the buses is from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA).

“In rural Montana, school buses are the vital link between families and the nearest school—and it’s critical that these buses are safe, up-to-date, and efficient,” said Senator Jon Tester. “I’m proud to see my bipartisan infrastructure law deliver these important funds to get kids to school safely and keep the air in our communities clean.”

The program will provide funding for eight buses in Thompson Falls, three in Trout Creek and one in Dixon.

John Mosher with Mosher Transportation, which operates the buses in Thompson Falls and Trout Creek, said Monday that while the company hasn’t received official documents about the program, they are excited about the opportunity. “It should be a win for all of us,” Mosher said. “I think it’s going to be a good move for us and the schools. Most people won’t notice a difference because they look like a regular school bus.”

Mosher stated that his team did a lot of research before applying for the grant funding and the drivers they talked to like the electric buses. “They are quiet and they like driving them,” he said. He added, however, that some schools are waiting over a year to get the buses. He also noted that new infrastructure is required for charging stations. Mosher said that the company will still have diesel buses for longer trips, but that the new buses will be used for the daily routes. “There should be a lot less maintenance issues,” he noted.

Superintendent Bud Scully said the new buses would be good for the district. “It hopefully will save us on fuel costs and it will be good to get new buses,” he expressed.

Thompson Falls School Board met for their regular meeting on Monday, at which they approved revisions to the district’s strategic plan. The plan outlines short-term and long-term goals for the district.

Scully on Monday also addressed letters from the Office of Public Instruction (OPI) addressing the school district being over budget in Fiscal Year 2023. He said the school did not overspend, and money that was left over in the budget went into a fund to be used for things such as maintenance. He stated that when the clerk entered verifications for OPI on the budget, there were no validation errors. “We had money left over from last year’s budget and put it in a fund for maintenance and other needs, as we always do,” Scully explained. “We did not overspend.”

Letters in December from OPI to the school district stated that there was an overdraft of $11,162.41 for the elementary school and $18,901.18 for the high school in 2023. A representative from OPI said Monday that the agency reduced the guaranteed tax base payments for fiscal year 2024, withholding some of the school district’s subsidy.