Brittany Kelley
KYLE — The Hays CISD Board of Trustees discussed items regarding bills passed in the 89th Texas Legislature at its Feb. 17 meeting.
This follows the passing of Senate Bill (SB) 546, which added a subsection to the Texas Transportation Code, that requires school districts to ensure that buses are equipped with a three-point seat belt for each passenger, including the operator.
The only exception is if the board of trustees determines that “it is not feasible, in consideration of the district’s budget and student needs.”
According to Max Cleaver, chief operations officer, the compliance date isn’t until Sept. 1, 2029, but for now, SB 546 requires the district to report what seat belts are currently in its bus fleet and what the estimated cost is at this time to either upgrade or purchase new equipment.
Prior to providing the status, director of Transportation Cassandra Behr shared the history of seat belts within school buses. The presentation noted that in 1977, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration implemented safety standards, such as high-backed, cushioned seats, rather than requiring seat belts.
This shifted in the 1980s, as some states began requiring lap belts. It wasn’t until the late 1990s and early 2000s that bus manufacturers started doing safety tests for three-point seat belts, said Behr.
In 2017, with SB 693, all buses created in the year 2018 or later required three-point seat belts for all passengers. That being said, she explained that districts were allowed to bypass this law, citing funding.
Now, with the current bill, Behr specified that a bus may be exempt if installing the seat belts would void the vehicle’s warranty, but that buses manufactured in years prior to 2018 must be retrofitted to comply by 2029.
“Senate Bill 546 established detailed reporting requirements for districts and [the Texas Education Agency], so that the state can track compliance challenges and estimate those financial needs,” said Behr. “We must submit required information with documentation by 11:59 p.m. on May 29, 2026. That documentation required includes: board agendas and minutes, proving that we had a public meeting; we have to report how many buses that we had in our fleet at the time of our presentation that do not have seat belts, that have only a lap belt or that two-point seat belt and are equipped with three-point seat belts; and we have to have the cost of the district to equip all buses with three-point seat belts.”
Currently, the district has 136 general education and 41 special education buses in compliance, 18 special education buses out of compliance, two general education buses without sealt belts and 18 buses that cannot be retrofitted.
Behr stated that the district has reached out to companies to determine how much retrofitting would cost. To add seat belts to the two general education buses that can be updated, it would be approximately $50,000 each and then, for the special education side, Behr stated that there are seven Thomas Built Buses that would amount to $280,000 total and 10 International Buses for $314,415.94.
This comes to a total of $694,415.94 to retrofit the buses, as compared to an estimated $3.7-$4.2 million to replace 20 general education buses — the two that can be retrofitted and the 18 that cannot be updated — and $3.1 million for the special education buses, said Behr, concluding her presentation.
“So, essentially they’re asking us to find out whether funding is available to do all this. We have two more legislative sessions to really see if the state can actually increase our allotment or help fund this,” said trustee Johnny Flores. “Knowing what’s happened in past sessions, that’s not a guarantee. What are the other funding options that are available to actually get this done?”
Staff noted that there could be a 2027 bond or grants that could become available at a later date.
“I’m not going to hold my breath for the state to act on this,” said Flores. “It’s mandated, but it’s unfunded, just making sure everyone understands.”
Behr shared that the district is in a good place, compared to others that have 100 buses out of compliance, as the board acted in adding more seat belts, following the crash of the Tom Green Elementary School bus in March 2024.
She also shared that the district has 10 buses on order that will replace some of the special education buses, along with a grant opportunity that will be brought to the board next month that could help. Despite this, the numbers that were presented are accurate at the time of the meeting, which is what was required by the state.
The item required no action.
Additionally at this meeting, the board was informed of the district’s Policy Committee recommendation regarding SB 11, which provides the opportunity for districts to create a designated prayer time during the school day.
Trustee Esperanza Orosco stated that the district’s Policy Committee met earlier this month to discuss the bill.
“The committee confirmed that the district’s current policy appropriately safeguards religious freedom and inclusivity. The resolution before you recommends that the Hays CISD Board of Trustees vote against adopting a state organized prayer policy for the district, [so] that [it] is consistent in its commitment to retaining a respectful, lawful and inclusive educational environment,” said Orosco.
The trustees voted unanimously at the Feb. 23 meeting to adopt a resolution “affirming our constitutional and legal right to choose to pray in school,” rather than adopting a prayer time.
The Hays CISD Board of Trustees will meet next Monday, March 30.
