Madison, Pontiac, and Royal Oak School Districts Get Clean Bus Energy Grants

Madison, Pontiac, and Royal Oak School Districts Get Clean Bus Energy Grants

Students will benefit as 27 Michigan school districts have been awarded nearly $44 million from the Michigan Department of Education (MDE) Clean Bus Energy Grant program. The program’s final round is part of an effort designed to replace older, diesel school buses with cleaner ones.

Funded through Section 74b of the 2024 State School Aid Act, the program has awarded $125 million to Michigan schools resulting in approximately 322 electric and 54 propane school buses. This action effectively removed 376 diesel buses from operation.

Michigan’s Clean Bus Energy Grant program has reduced harmful emissions and promoted healthier air quality by converting older, diesel school buses to low or no greenhouse gas emission buses (propane or electric) as determined by the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE).

“Throughout my administration, Michigan’s Clean School Bus program helped districts across our state buy and use clean school buses to take kids to school safely and keep the air in and around our schools cleaner,” said Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. “I’m proud of the work we’ve done to provide 100 school districts with 376 clean buses. In Michigan, we also passed a historic energy law to create jobs, lower energy costs, and grow clean, renewable energy across our state. Let’s keep working together to protect our air, land, and water for future generations.”

State Superintendent Dr. Glenn Maleyko said the grants are another example of putting Students First.

“Our students deserve to travel to and from school in buses that are best for our local school districts and our environment,” Maleyko said. “The Clean Bus Energy Grant program helps us move toward Goal 3 in Michigan’s Top 10 Strategic Education Plan, to improve the health, safety and wellness of all learners.”

Award letters have been distributed to school districts, and funds were disbursed in the February state aid payment.

With this final round of funding, an additional 99 electric school buses and 10 propane school buses will be added to school bus fleets across the state. These cleaner school buses offer low/no tailpipe pollution, reduced maintenance costs for districts and improved air quality for children. Most importantly, over 100 of Michigan’s oldest and dirtiest diesel buses will no longer be exposing children, drivers and communities to harmful diesel exhaust.

The grant program proved to be a successful mechanism for districts to upgrade their buses when transportation funds are often limited and gaps remain after federal funding programs, such as the EPA’s Clean School Bus Program, have decreased the amount of funding per electric school bus with each subsequent round and have been unpredictable in their timing.

The school districts awarded grant funding for this final round are:

• Ann Arbor Public Schools: $5,030,000.
• Athens Area Schools $689,477.
• Britton Deerfield Schools $3,371,462.
• Brown City Community Schools $124,000.
• Cadillac Area Public Schools $444,000.
• Chippewa Valley Schools $3,790,951.
• Comstock Public Schools $300,000.
• Holt Public Schools $4,436,505.
• Howell Public Schools $4,220,000.
• Hudsonville Public School District $347,843.
• Jefferson Schools $2,633,103.
• Kearsley Community School District $1,194,631.
• Kentwood Public Schools $792,662.
• Livonia Community Schools $385,132.
• Madison District Public Schools $1,993,181.
• Manchester Community Schools $1,201,171.
• Parchment School District $545,065.
• Peck Community Schools $73,705.
• Pentwater Public School District $817,704.
• Pontiac City School District $3,620,609.
• Riverview Community School District $45,000.
• Royal Oak Schools $4,450,005.
• Sand Creek Community Schools $212,722.
• Tekonsha Community Schools $839,402.
• Union City Community Schools $480,000.
• Vanderbilt Area Schools $419,255.
• Zeeland Public Schools $1,471,812.

In Royal Oak, district leadership has already begun planning for the infrastructure required to successfully implement the transition, ensuring a smooth rollout and long-term reliability of the new electric fleet.

“Electric busing represents an important step forward for our community,” said Tim Ciechorski, President, Board of Education. “This grant allows us to reduce emissions, invest in cleaner transportation for students, and responsibly steward taxpayer resources through strategic state funding.”

Royal Oak Schools anticipates completing infrastructure work and launching the electric vehicles in Fall 2027.