This article is part of a series highlighting the experiences of the Arts Based School with their electric bus. Read the first and second articles to learn more.
Fall is back-to-school season for kids and families, but for school leadership it’s always budget season. For most districts, the largest expenditure is employee salaries, followed by operating expenses like utilities, building maintenance, student transportation, and classroom supplies.
A Meaningful Long Shot
For the Arts Based School in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, this desire to reduce facility costs was a priority during a board retreat in 2022. Ideas that rose to the top, according to Jay Kumar, a former ABS board member, “were at the intersection of energy efficiency upgrades and school maintenance costs… This eventually led to talks with the Piedmont Environmental Alliance about solar tax credits and other opportunities available to schools through the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA).”
Robin Hollis, Charter Director at The Arts Based School, recalled the creative idea of pursuing electric school buses as a potential solution for replacing their 20-year-old diesel bus. “At the time, it honestly felt like a bit of a ‘moon shot.’ We knew there were significant benefits to electric school buses, but we weren’t sure whether a school like ABS could actually make it happen. Jay took the idea and ran with it. He researched the available grant opportunities, explored what would be required, and ultimately shepherded the project forward on behalf of the school. What started as an ambitious idea at a Board Retreat eventually became a very real opportunity for ABS. It’s a great example of how creative thinking, a willingness to explore something that initially seems like a long shot, and the dedication of members of our school community can turn an idea into something meaningful for our students and our school.”
Critical Connections and Resources Helped Guide the Process
A mutual connection introduced Jay to Will Eley, Green Economy Program Director at the Piedmont Environmental Alliance, who had spent time in a previous role lobbying Congress for electric school bus funding that eventually became the EPA’s Clean School Bus Program. They began working to pull together necessary stakeholders to create a compelling application for the EPA’s CSB program, including the team at Duke Energy, staff at the NC Clean Energy Technology Center, and a few bus dealers.
He recalls the kismet of the ABS working towards ESBs, “Funny enough, I half-jokingly — during a Climate Changemakers presentation about electric school buses in 2022 — expressed a personal goal of making sure that my daughter’s first and only rides on school buses would be on electric ones. Well, thanks to Jay and Robin and the Clean School Bus Program, ABS got their electric bus, and the following year my daughter started kindergarten at the school.”
Robin explained the next steps included formalizing a proposal to the school Board and leadership to make them aware of the opportunity and practical implications. She also reached out to other charter schools across North Carolina seeking learnings from their experiences. “Those conversations were very helpful in giving us a realistic understanding of the process and building confidence in our ability to pursue the grant. The grant opportunity itself helped build support because it significantly changed the financial equation. Without the grant, an electric bus would have been difficult for a school our size to consider. With the potential funding available, it became a much more realistic and responsible option.”
Will credits PEA’s membership in the Alliance for Electric School Buses for bringing several critical resources to the table. “AESB partners like the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy, World Resources Institute, and Moms Clean Air Force were so giving of their time and expertise. It truly made all of the difference.” He also highlighted PEA’s expertise in helping nonprofits unlock relevant tax credits and utility rebates. “We were pleased to help ABS braid/stack those dollars with EPA funds.”
Getting Critical Buy-In
It was the ability to leverage tax credits and rebates from various entities that Jay credits as being a notable selling point. Robin highlighted the various opportunities to different stakeholders. For the Board, it was the ability to make a “significant investment in transportation without placing the full financial burden on the school.”
For school leadership, it was the practical benefits like lower operating and fuel costs over time. The health and environmental benefits were very important to staff. “An electric bus eliminates tailpipe emissions around students and staff and provides a quieter experience for students riding the bus.”
The strongest message to parents and families was that it was an investment in students’ futures while being good stewards of the school’s resources. For the kids, “the bus itself became a tangible example of innovation and environmental responsibility. It gave us an opportunity to show students that sustainability isn’t just something we talk about in the classroom — it can be something we put into practice.”
“We saw the electric bus as a way for ABS to model what is possible for a small public charter school. It demonstrated that schools don’t necessarily have to wait for a perfect solution; sometimes they can identify an opportunity, take a calculated risk, and lead by example.” – Robin Hollis, Charter Director, The Arts Based School
Doing the Homework and Waiting for Funds
One of Robin’s recommendations for other districts pursuing future CSB program funding is to have a dedicated staff person responsible for managing the project. At ASB, Jay raised his hand for the assignment. That meant taking on the responsibility of learning about charging infrastructure and utility requirements, navigating requirements, communicating with partners and agencies, tracking deadlines and documentation, and staying on top of reimbursement. Jay explained that the application process can be handled by a third party, but ABS opted to self-apply to maintain control of the project.
Robin noted that the application process was the easy part, but the timeline after the award was more challenging than they had anticipated. After they were awarded the grant, they purchased the bus with the understanding that the school would be reimbursed with federal grant funds.
“The significant challenge was that the reimbursement was delayed for nearly a year, which meant ABS had to carry the cost of the bus while we waited for the federal funds to be released. The timing coincided with a change in the federal administration, and it appeared that the transition contributed to delays in the release and processing of federal funding… Ultimately, we did receive the reimbursement, but the experience taught us that schools pursuing federal grants need to be prepared for significant delays between making an expenditure and receiving reimbursement.”
She advises districts to plan carefully for the possibility of a significant delay in receiving federal reimbursement. Having a clear cash flow plan and understanding who will manage that financial exposure is extremely important.
“Overall, I would absolutely encourage other districts to consider the opportunity. The result was very positive for ABS, but I would go into it understanding that receiving the grant is really the beginning of the work, not the end.”
Call To Other Districts To Follow Suit
Jay wishes ABS had 25 buses to replace instead of just one. His message to other districts is “missing out on this program seems like a lost opportunity.”
Robin would encourage districts to seriously consider the opportunity. “The EPA’s Clean School Bus Program is an amazing and valuable way to support students, schools, and the environment. Pursuing an opportunity like this takes time, expertise, and persistence — and those resources can be difficult for schools and districts to find.”
Her recommendation to improve the program would be to “provide schools with grant consultants or dedicated support to help navigate the process. If someone could help districts understand the requirements, complete the application, coordinate the various pieces, and navigate the process after the award, more schools might be able to take advantage of this opportunity.”
Extra Credit: Going Further With Clean Energy
Will explained that being a recipient of the CSB program made “the ABS more competitive for other funding,” such as the NC GreenPower Solar+Schools Program. The school now has a 20kW solar system on the roof of their North Campus. Will is proud that PEA was able to help “ABS secure those solar dollars and take their clean energy journey a step further.” Jay added that the solar array almost offsets the electric bus charging costs.
“The kids are literally riding to school on sunlight. I’m glad to see that students are starting to see this type of technology in the background of their everyday life.”
This article is part of a series highlighting the experiences of the Arts Based School with their electric bus. Read the first and second articles to learn more.
