News Photo by Courtney Boyd A row of Alpena Public School buses parked in the Alpena Public Schools Transportation Lot located on M-32. Within this row is one of the district’s propane buses, which is a different shape and brand compared to the others next to it.

ALPENA — More eco-friendly school buses will be taking children to and from school in Alpena County. This is because the Alpena Public School District is one of 29 school districts that received funds from the Michigan’s Clean School Bus grant program.

The program is hosted by the Michigan Department of Education, which recently distributed $30 million to Michigan school districts so they can replace their current school buses with environmentally friendly ones. According to the department’s press release announcing the grant program, the funding can be used on buses that run on electricity, propane, or natural gas.

Diane Golzynski is the Deputy Superintendent for Business, Health, and Library Services through MDE. She explained that under the grant, for every eco-friendly bus purchased, a diesel bus gets taken off the road.

She said the purpose of the grant is to provide environmental clean-up and to create a safer environment for kids.

“It helps the kids with asthma to be able to not have as many flare-ups and be able to get to school more often,” she said.

Golzynski said the funds are coming out of a $125 million fiscal year budget, and this was just one round of dispersing the grants. She said the funds come from a larger partnership with the Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy, who according to a previous press release have received funding for clean energy school buses through the federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

According to documents from the Department of Education, Alpena Public Schools received roughly $90,000 for two new propane buses. They were one of four districts to opt for propane buses instead of electric ones.

Lee Fitzpatrick is the Director of Communications for Alpena Public Schools. He said the district has had one propane bus in the district since 2021, and they have already seen the benefits of using them.

“There are reduced operating costs and reduced maintenance costs,” he said. “Basically, the fuel is cheaper to run than traditional fuel maintenance costs. It’s just a simpler system that doesn’t break down as frequently.”

Fitzpatrick said the propane fuel comes from a local provider, which also helps cut down costs. While they can’t apply for the next round of grants, he said he believes the district would be open to purchasing more eco-friendly buses in the future.

“We live in a beautiful place in Northeast Michigan and we want to protect our environment where possible,” he said.

The next round of grants closes on Oct. 12. Golzynski said the Department of Education would love to see more school districts apply, as there is still $95 million in funds to disperse.

This story was produced by the Michigan News Group Internship Program, a collaboration between WCMU Public Media and local newspapers in central and northern Michigan. The program’s mission is to train the next generation of journalists and combat the rise of rural news deserts.