The bus is one of the first 17 nationwide and is expected to be delivered in February. The vehicle is a diesel/electric hybrid. Only support from government and grants could make this possible, though.
According to the report a standard school bus costs $67,000, the hybrid costs $209,000. Jennings Transportation (which is the district bus contractor) will pay $67,000, the district will pay $14,000 and the state will pay $112,000. The balance will be paid by an electric company consortium.
Lomax's article closes with the following (Swigart refers to Judy Swigart, assistant superintendent for education support services for the district):
"It will be interesting to see how this works and see if this is something other districts might look into," Swigart said.Two aspects of this immediately grab my attention. While many companies are touting their green policies (and I don't have anything against preserving the environment), it is often the case that the costs are much higher "to be green", than not. With the bus this is clearly the case. The rising cost of gas has everyone concerned, but as some communities have found, once their contracts capping electric rates expires your electric bill, not your cost to fill up the tank, will be your biggest problem (as I recall the area has until 2010 under its cap).
She said she doesn't know if the district will consider purchasing other hybrid buses because of the high cost.
An energy-saving bus joins the district's other environmentally friendly project. The new seventh-and eighth-grade building on Friedenstahl Avenue will be built following energy-saving green-building standards.
Other than selecting to incur increased fees to be green, a new precedent appears to be set with the district purchasing a portion of a bus that it will then pay an annual fee to have providing transportation to its students (I don't know terms between the District and Jennings, but in the past I don't believe Nazareth directly contributed to the purchase of Jennings' vehicles).
It will be interesting to see how the vehicle works, especially in comparison to the existing fleet and if it can be cost justified.
What do you think? Given the reluctance of individuals to move to hybrid vehicles, are we ready for a bus? Should a public school district be the one to test a hybrid vehicle? Should alternative fuel such as corn based ethanol be considered before a hybrid electric solution?
10 comments:
I have to say, as a recent alum, I'm impressed by the movements the district is making in the direction of green energy and green schools. I also think it's terrific that they're leading the way with an electric bus. The fact that individuals are not yet ready to accept hybrid vehicles means that another entity needs to take the lead. I can't think of a better entity than a public school district: it's a government entity, strictly speaking, as well as a very visible and respected community center. Assuming the bus works as advertised, there couldn't be a better encouragement for the people of Nazareth to start moving to hybrids, which is a very good thing.
I agree with from the perspective that government often encourages behavior (consider federal income tax forms) and then if that doesn't work often legislates it.
The government has put money out for this bus, and the district is a public body. My concern with Nazareth's stepping forward now is that it must financially consider all the people of the district.
The school is about to embark on a $50 million dollar building complex, it is currently negotiating the teachers' contract (I am assuming they won't be taking a cut), and many living costs are increasing.
I don't think anyone can recall a time that school taxes have not gone up, so spending extra money ought to be done in delivering educational value.
Again, I respect the desire to be "green". But before we spend extra money, lets look at conservation. How many nights are the stadium lights on for practice? How often do students and groups come into the school when the school is closed for holidays, inclement weather, and otherwise - these groups all use energy and resources? How often do students claim the rooms are too hot when it is cold out and too cold when it is hot? All of these incremental steps can be taken and would probably over the duration of the bus' lifespan save more.
Again, I don't disagree, entirely, but I do think Nazareth is not in a position to be assuming extra costs to "be green" at this time.
I definitely agree that there are other, more immediate and perhaps more sensible steps that the district could (and should) be taking. However, I must respectfully challenge your opinion on Nazareth's position with respect to assuming extra costs to be green. I now attend Oberlin College in Oberlin, Ohio, and worked with a number of elementary, middle, and high school students here over the summer. Doing so gave me a great appreciation for the money and interest the people of Nazareth, Lower Nazareth, and Bushkill put into the district. In Oberlin, the money and interest just aren't there, which means they can't educate their students as well as Nazareth does, let alone contemplate spending money on a green district.
Nazareth has a responsibility that goes with its blessings, and that is to be a shining example for every other school district, every other level of government, and every individual who lives in the area. The argument that we don't have the money to spend will always be there- the chance to go green in time to make a difference won't.
It all sounds so good and logical. But it still comes back to what we can afford. We will be taxed to death to be a shining example and to make a difference. Can't we be a shining example in the education arena by focusing on having good teachers, a good curriculum and doing it in a way that we don't force people to move to a less expensive community? I've heard that the home schooled kids are not lacking in education and they certainly don't have all the fancy extras that the kids going to public school have. That tells me we don't need all of the things that will make our school so hard to pay for.
Actually, I'd disagree that homeschooled students don't lack in education. While their academic educations are sometimes (too rarely for my taste) the equivalent of or even superior to a public education, they miss out on the social education public school students receive. Also, the parents of homeschooled students often do provide them with fancy extras- the same people who can afford private tutors can afford extras like top-of-the-line computers and so forth.
Going back to the central subject, Nazareth already is a shining academic example. I know this because I'm attending what people keep telling me is a top-tier college, and I'm carrying the maximum credit load on top of ten hours of community service a week, a job with the college working with computers, and being a club officer- all in my sophomore year. That's due to the quality of education Nazareth provided me. Nazareth is doing just fine preparing its students for college and the world beyond, and it's time the district started moving forward in other ways as well.
By the way, before you start complaining about $14,000, I suggest looking into how much the fairly recent (and largely unnecessary) refitting of the locker rooms at the high school cost. If I remember correctly, it was about $1,000,000. One million dollars for locker rooms that still smell bad; fourteen thousand for a bus that encourages everyone to think more about their energy use. I know which one I prefer.
It's so easy to "be green", or refit smelly locker rooms for that matter, when you can get in someone else's pocket to pay for it, and the populace as a whole, really doesn't have a say. Being green is a very noble aspiration, but then again I for one feel we need to spend dollars first on educating, and fewer on fancy or green things. Basic education is where our hard earned dollars need to go. Where the rubber meets the road. Teacher to student. Orderly, safe, respectful and disciplined classrooms. Where high standards of performance are the norm, not the exception. Not on more "green" anything. I suppose it depends on what you consider important in your ideals and expectations.
Just like politicians, it's so easy to spend someone else's money to be "progressive" and "green". The rest of us who worked hard for years to earn what we have, just get the bill.
My concern Jonas, is when you get out of school with your top-tier education, will you be able to afford living in Nazareth, other than under someone else's roof? My hope is you will. You certainly seem to have benefited from your education in Nazareth. It is a feather in the cap of your educators, as well as yourself, by your own hard work. I'm not slamming your point of view, only sharing my own as one of the people who get the bill.
Fred, you make valid points. I must admit, since I am still a student, I haven't yet felt the true pain of taxes, and that probably contributes to my willingness to see the district's, and thus the taxpayers', money go toward a greener school. On the other hand, one of the classes I am taking this semester paints a rather grim picture of a potential future in which we aren't willing to shoulder the costs of a greener society.
I appreciate that it sounds like I'm talking about spending other people's money, and I suppose this is true. I am very curious, though, about the actual cost descending on each taxpayer due to this particular purchase. My suspicion is that it's negligible, but if I'm wrong, I'd gladly learn why.
I think for me the $14,000 as you rightly point out is not "significant" in the scope of the district budget, but it is indicative of the types of decisions and choices that are made on a regular and consistent basis, that when taken together result in a significant amount of spending that is not improving education or educational resources.
Take for instance the locker situation you mention. I am assuming these are gym lockers and not student book lockers, if they are consider that work is now for naught as a new gymnasium center is being planned and the current gym facilities are being turned into a library/media center.
Compounding our dilemma is the fact that like you, I thought Nazareth was a top tier school district, yet our recent PSSA scores appear to indicate otherwise and secondly our tax base is very heavily residential based. A greater business tax base would lessen the burden on individuals, but we don't have that, so every dollar spent is critical at this juncture.
In short, if we were in a different position right now, we might be the right district to take the lead, but I don't see us there right now. Alternatively, if they are committed to being green I'm sure there are immediate incremental steps that could be taken.
Thanks to all for taking a sip and keeping this conversation so constructive!
Ross, you hit on something I've been saying for years. We need to attract more businesses to the area of the district. One of the areas I would like to see more business developemnt in the borough. So many businesses have closed or moved out of our area. Business will supplement the tax coffers so much better than housing developements, which only seem to bring more cost with the school district. Sure, the builders get wealthier, but do they add sufficiently to our community to cover the ever rising cost their projects bring with them? Just to throw something out here, what do you think about a moritorium on housing developements and more of a focus on trying to attract new business to the area.
Ooh. I don't know anything about the realities behind it, but I LIKE that idea. The ever-encroaching housing developments seem to me to be destroying Nazareth's small-town charm, so I'd like to see them stopped. I'd also like to see a larger business tax-base.
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