FREWSBURG – In an effort to stay ahead of the curve, the Frewsburg Central School District is preparing to transition its school bus fleet to all electric vehicles.

Superintendent Shelly O’Boyle recommended to the board of education members last week that they establish a transportation reserve fund.

The reserve, O’Boyle noted, is for future costs related to electric buses, so no costs will be put into the school budget.

O’Boyle added the district has begun to look at goals, develop an appropriate timeline, and make sure the district’s neither too aggressive nor too passive on the transition.

“And our plan will be fluid and will adapt as more information becomes available,” O’Boyle said.

An article recently published in The Post-Journal said New York State has released new resources and guidance to help public schools in the state transition to all electric fleets.

Schools have been mandated to change all of their buses over to electric or zero-emission buses by 2035. The state also has a goal that all buses sold in New York State be electric or zero-emission by 2027. The New York State Electric School Bus Roadmap and The Electric School Bus Guidebook are meant to help schools reach these goals.

The Roadmap includes information such as; electric school buses currently on the market can be affordable and attainable for schools when available state and federal incentive programs are utilized, making the cost of owning and operating an electric school bus comparable to, or lower than, a diesel or gasoline bus. Electric school buses can meet the bus route needs of most schools which have an average bus route of 80 miles per day and low cost Level Two electric vehicle chargers provide sufficient power for electric school buses through overnight charging. Ninety-six percent of school buses, outside of New York City, return to depots for at least 12 hours overnight.

The Guidebook provides information and resources for school districts and bus operators to help them become more familiar with key terms and processes for transitioning to zero-emission school bus fleets.

“I don’t want to be too fast out of the gate. I don’t want to be too slow out of the gate,” O’Boyle said.

In other news the board heard a presentation about “Finding Nemo Jr.” that will be performed by Robert H. Jackson Elementary students Nov. 17 at 7 p.m., Nov. 18 at 7 p.m. and Nov. 19 at 2 p.m.

“It’s a full community effort. The benefits from the show are tremendous,” said co-director Sandy Meerdink.

Meerdink said there are 88 students in the musical.

“It’s a great opportunity for kids in the building who like to do musical theater. We try to get everyone involved,” said co-director Kim Dilts.

The board’s next scheduled meeting is Dec. 14.