SHEPHERD — The Shepherd school district is facing a money problem trying to meet state requirements regarding seatbelts in school buses.
At the SISD Board of Managers’ April 16 meeting, members discussed the appropriate action on resolution on seatbelts. A 2025 Texas school bus safety law (Senate Bill 546) moves the state toward 3-point seat belts on school buses and asks districts to be transparent about where they are right now.
The law requires school districts to report what type of belts each bus has (none, lap belts, or 3-point) and what it would cost to bring any buses up to the 3-point standard. Therefore, the state can see the expenditure and plan for future support.
Transportation Coordinator Jamie Hendrix said that the district is not financially equipped to purchase 3-point seatbelts for the entire fleet of buses.
Hendrix said that the total cost to retrofit the buses — 27 of 39 buses that do not have 3-point seat belts — would be $1,068,965, and to purchase new buses to become compliant will cost $4,262,880.
Shepherd ISD’s bus fleet consists of 34 regular buses and 5 special buses. Only 10 of the regular buses and 2 of the special buses have 3-point seatbelts installed, while 24 of the regular buses have no seat belts at all.
“That is the information that we have to report to TEA (Texas Education Agency) for them to decide what to do next,” said Hendrix.
The law states that all school buses must be equipped with 3-point seat belts by Sept. 1, 2029.
The board motioned that the current budget does not align with the resolution.
The next board meeting will be held May 21.
