Electric Bus Deal in Montgomery County Hits a Roadblock

The Maryland State Board of Education has made a final decision. It stuck to its earlier ruling. The board said a $168 million electric bus deal was not legal. The Montgomery County Public School District (MCPS) had awarded this contract to Highland Electric Fleets. The district tried to challenge the decision. But the state board turned down the appeal. This deal has been under scrutiny for a while. The state board found that MCPS did not follow its own rules for bidding. The district ended the contract last summer. But Highland had only delivered 285 out of the 326 buses promised. There are more issues with this deal. A public report questioned the district's claim. The report said switching to electric buses would not change transportation costs. The Montgomery County Inspector General also raised concerns. The district failed to recover $372, 000 from Highland. This was for buses that did not work.The state board's report mentioned criminal activity. Two former MCPS officials were involved in the deal. They were convicted of stealing money from the project. Their actions made the bidding process questionable. A watchdog group spoke out about the decision. Janis Zink Sartucci from the Parents Coalition of Montgomery County said the findings were unprecedented. She criticized the district for not addressing the issue. Instead, the district spent money on legal fees. MCPS is still reviewing the state's decision. They have not said how this will affect the district. Highland Electric Fleets did not comment on the matter. The state board denied their appeal as well. Even though the contract is terminated, MCPS will keep working with Highland. The district leases the buses and charging stations. This means taxpayers will keep paying annual lease fees for years.