Carpentersville, Huntley, Palatine among school districts receiving grants for new electric buses

Seven school districts in Cook, Kane, McHenry and Madison counties will receive grants totaling more than $13 million for 46 new electric school buses, Gov. JB Pritzker announced Friday.

The grants will allow school districts and student transportation companies to retire older, diesel-powered buses and provide charging stations for the new electric buses which will help improve air quality in those communities.

Suburban districts receiving grants include: Huntley Consolidated School District 158 and Highland Electric Fleets in partnership with Palatine Community Consolidated School District 15 and with Carpentersville Community Unit Community Unit District 300.

“Electric school buses are major win for our children, our schools, and our communities,” Pritzker said in a prepared statement.

The grant program is funded from Illinois’ portion of the multibillion dollar settlement Volkswagen reached with the federal government over the auto manufacturer’s violation of the Clean Air Act. To date, Illinois has spent nearly $108 million of the settlement funding 122 electric school buses and 65 direct current fast charging sites.

The grants are a proactive step to replace aging infrastructure, said State Rep. Nabella Syed, in a prepared statement.

“By expanding and modernizing our school buses, we are helping ensure our kids get a reliable start to their day while preserving air quality and propelling this community to a more sustainable future,” the Inverness Democrat said.