Rehoboth Christian School Bob Ippel

By Bob Ippel Executive Director Rehoboth Christian School

Schools like to invest their funds in teachers and curriculum that lead directly to student learning. However, at Rehoboth Christian School, one of the most overlooked costs has to do with transportation—especially with a bus fleet of second hand vehicles that need constant repair. In the four months between October 2019 and January 2020, the six-bus Rehoboth fleet experienced 10 breakdowns. Altogether, the aging buses required an average of $83,500 in repairs and maintenance annually. Yet the school depends on these vehicles, putting on 234,000 miles each year while serving students and families from an area of 3,000 square miles. Rehoboth needed new buses, but how could the school ever afford six new buses at one time—something that had never happened during Rehoboth’s entire 118-year history. But then came the news that money was available for the purchase of new buses from a settlement in the Volkswagen emission scandal known as “Dieselgate”. For Rehoboth, that news could not have come at a better time.

According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency Website, Volkswagen had violated the Clean Air Act (CAA) by the sale of approximately 590,000 model year 2009 to 2016

diesel motor vehicles equipped with “defeat devices”. The EPA alleged that these vehicles were equipped with defeat devices in the form of computer software designed to cheat on federal emissions tests. The major excess pollutant at issue in this case is oxides of nitrogen (NOx) and is a serious health concern.”

The settlement required Volkswagen to invest in cleaner energy opportunities, so the company created grant money for schools that would switch from diesel to more ecofriendly fuels.

Rehoboth Christian School received $143,198 from the VW Trust settlement—covering 25% of the cost for new propane buses, and suddenly the campaign to purchase a brand new fleet for the school was underway. The remaining $429,594 would be raised through a nationwide appeal to support this bus campaign, and because of the amazing results, the school purchased the new fleet. Right now, only $50,000 is needed to complete the campaign.

The new propane buses are a wonderful asset to Rehoboth, running far quieter and cutting the NOx emissions by 96% compared to diesel. Rehoboth anticipates a savings of 2025% on fuel alone, and the reduced regular maintenance of brand new vehicles will also help run a more cost effective transportation program. The buses include advanced safety features like backup cameras, and the flip-up seats have been perfect for providing social distancing during the pandemic as well as transporting large band instruments and coolers full of meals. Top notch speaker systems allow masked bus drivers to clearly communicate with the riders, and the onboard heaters perform quite nicely in the cool October mornings.

The Rehoboth Christian School Transportation Department is thankful for these reliable and environmentally friendly buses as they pick up students in communities as far away as Zuni, Crownpoint, Tohatchi, Fort Defiance and Sanders. As of now, the drivers are happy to transport the smaller number of daily students who are enrolled in hybrid classes, in need of better access to the internet, or are in need of extra educational assistance. But like the entire community, they look forward to the days of once again driving buses full of students each day.