OBSERVER Photo by Sara Holthouse Clymer Central School’s Board of Education discussed the possibility of an extension to the state electric bus mandate during their May meeting.

CLYMER — The state budget came with language allowing schools to file for two extensions of the state’s pending electric school bus purchase requirements.

As it stands, the mandate that schools will need to start purchasing only electric buses by 2027 and have an all electric fleet by 2035 remains in place, but the extension allows for schools to begin purchasing after 2027 if they need it.

During Clymer Central School’s May board of education meeting, Business Official Jarrett Wiggers discussed this update, and that Clymer should have the ability to file for an extension.

“They have allowed extensions now to that 2027 mandate of the required EV purchase for up to two years,” Wiggers said. “So, what it would be is if we wanted to file an extension we would have to apply for it — they don’t have the application out yet, that’s going to come out in December, so we can apply for an extension one year at a time for up to two years as of now.”

Wiggers said when more information on what will be included in the application process is released he will share that with the board. He noted that the extension is not a guarantee for everybody, and that districts who do not go through the feasibility study would not qualify, and that some other restrictions may come up as they get closer to December.

Clymer is currently in the midst of working on this required study.

“I don’t think we have a final report,” Superintendent Beth Olson said. “I say three thirds because we’ve got the third section of it, I think that’s out of four. They’ve dragged it out and I need to revisit that, and we need to come back together too, because we have not talked with our counterparts since the whole idea was that we were going to do it individually and then they were also going to look at it as a whole, and we have not gotten any of that data at this point either.”

Board President Ed Mulkearn asked if the study was far enough along to know if the district would have enough power to be able to power the chargers for the electric buses in the bus garage. Wiggers said with the district’s current infrastructure there is enough power for one charger, which powers enough for two buses only.

“I think what they’re looking at in the study is do districts have enough to get started,” Wiggers said. “They’re not looking necessarily for everyone to have enough power to fill their bus garage. It’s really, is there enough for you to get started and then as you do, build from there. That’s the sort of messaging that we’ve been getting, but it would take some work for us to go past that one charger.”