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<p>WHEREAS: Climate change and air quality have significant impacts on the health, well-being, and future of the children the Cambridge Public School District (CPSD) serves; and</p> <p>WHEREAS: The Cambridge School Committee is committed to the health, well-being and future of the children of Cambridge; and</p> <p>WHEREAS: Electrification of CPSD’s school bus services would have a positive impact on climate change and the reduction of particulates in the air, benefiting our children and everyone in our Cambridge community; and</p> <p>WHEREAS: The Cambridge Public School District has been a leader in school bus electrification, participating in a pilot project in 2016 with two other Massachusetts school districts, funded through the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative and administered by the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources (DOER), which included a $400,000 grant to Cambridge to purchase an electric school bus and a charging station, which are still in service in Cambridge; and</p> <p>WHEREAS: The City of Cambridge has been a leader in reducing transportation-related emissions, including a Green Fleet policy requiring all municipal departments requesting new vehicles to compare options on the basis of fuel economy and emissions, recognizing that a significant percentage of climate-change emissions in the city result from transportation; and</p> <p>WHEREAS: The <a href="https://www.cambridgema.gov/-/media/Files/officeofthemayor/2022/CCWG_August2022.pdf">Cambridge Climate Working Group Findings and Recommendations Report</a> recommends that all leased and owned school buses be electric vehicles; therefore be it</p> <p>RESOLVED: That CPSD explore every opportunity to electrify our school bus fleet and school bus service taking into account the expiration of CPSD’s current school bus contract on August 31, 2025; and be it further</p> <p>RESOLVED: That CPSD will explore and pursue any potentially beneficial funding opportunities including state and federal programs; and be it further</p> <p>RESOLVED: That CPSD will seek intermediate steps that advance us towards the goal of full electrification, including taking full advantage of the electric bus owned by CPSD; and be it further</p> <p>RESOLVED: That CPSD will establish a plan, including a timeline, for full electrification of the CPSD school bus fleet and school bus service by September 2030 or sooner if feasible; and be it further</p> <p>RESOLVED: That the Superintendent will present an update on this plan by June 30, 2023.</p>