For immediate release: May 13, 2024
Mothers Out Front Urges Voters To Vote “Yes” On School District Electric School Bus Propositions
New York (May 13, 2024) – Mothers Out Front is mobilizing moms and voters throughout New York – including Beacon, Ithaca, Newfield, Johnson City, Alexandria, and North Colonie – to vote yes for budgets and propositions that will bring more Electric School Buses (ESBs) to their school districts. These initiatives are largely funded through federal grants as well as state funding that our state legislators worked tirelessly to establish in 2022, meaning the burden to electrify our school bus fleet will not fall to the taxpayers.
“We parents moved quickly toward electrifying our bus fleet once we understood the harms linked to fossil fuel school bus exhaust, including heart and lung disease,” said Cristina Arnold, a volunteer with Mothers Out Front in Northern Westchester. “We had many questions about adopting the newer technology of electric school buses, but the research shows that electric school buses win in every category: reliability, safety, cost, and comfort.”
Municipal officials and climate justice champions also voiced their support for electric school buses.”NY State has the opportunity to be a leader across the country on the electric school bus transition with our comprehensive, equitable state policy,” said Assemblymember Dr. Anna Kelles (NY 125). “By helping school districts make the transition to ESBs with the aid of available federal and state funding, we’re quickly shifting to a healthy, clean ride for kids and a swift reduction in carbon emissions for our state. We need to help schools build from the ground up by stabilizing their charging infrastructure to be fully prepared for this transition. We have no time to waste on both of these critical issues, and voting yes on school budgets and for ESBs on May 21st ensures we meet our goals.”
Ithaca Mayor Robert G. Cantelmo echoed these sentiments. “By helping school districts make this transition, we are positioning ourselves to shift to healthy, clean transportation for our youth, while also significantly reducing statewide carbon emissions. We have no time to waste on both of these critical issues, which is why I am voting YES on Proposition 2.”
Electric school buses are just as much a public health issue as they are a climate justice issue. “We have known for quite some time now that toxic school bus emissions from gas and diesel are both an outdoor, air quality issue, and an indoor, school bus cabin breathing issue, increasing the risk of lung disease,” said Max Micallef of the American Lung Association’s Clear Air Initiatives.
All New York State School Districts Elections will be held on Tuesday, May 21st. Check your school district website for details and polling locations.
Mothers Out Front is a member-led climate justice organization. We are mothers, sisters, aunts, grandmothers and other caregivers coming together to make climate justice a priority issue that our decision-makers can no longer ignore. We are building a powerful grassroots movement to ensure a swift, complete and just transition away from fossil fuels and toward a clean and renewable energy future where our children and families can thrive, not just survive.