FARMINGTON -- Superintendent Jon Laffoon thinks the Farmington School District is setting an example for clean energy in the state, and the six electric buses the district recently rolled out are a prime example of that work.

The district purchased the buses last year from Midwest Buses in Van Buren for $865,000. One of the buses has a wheelchair lift, and the others are regular 77-passenger buses.

The School Board also approved a contract with Entegrity Energy Partners to install the charging infrastructure for the vehicles. That infrastructure consists of three dual electric charging stations installed at the bus parking lot.

The district received a $1.22 million Environmental Protection Agency Clean School Bus Rebate Program grant for the buses. As part of the conditions of the grant, the district is required to scrap six older diesel school buses.

Additionally, the district is using $288,000 from student growth funds to help with the cost of the charging infrastructure.

Laffoon said the district will save an estimated $10,000 per year in diesel fuel with the electric buses. With a battery life of more than 13 years, the savings will be about $130,000, he said.

The charging system is set up for sustainability and to use less energy, Laffoon added. Depending on the need, the stations can provide a slow charge or a quick charge.

"It is a self-monitoring system, basically controlled by the district depending on what our need is," he said.

Laffoon said he thinks the district will consider purchasing more electric buses, especially if a funding source is out there to help with the costs.

"In my opinion, they've outperformed our diesel buses and will save money on maintenance and fuel," Laffoon said. "If those things start to evolve like they are supposed to, plus better air quality for our students, I think it's something we want to look for in the future."

School Board members took a short ride on an electric bus to see for themselves the difference between electric and diesel buses during a ribbon-cutting ceremony in late September.

Board President Travis Warren said the buses are like anything new, "all clean and shiny." However, a couple of big differences from the diesel buses are the electric vehicles are quiet and do not have any exhaust fumes.

Warren said it was a little "eerie" riding in the bus when the air conditioning was turned off. He compared it to riding in an electric golf cart.

Farmington looked at electric buses because the district is the smallest geographically in the state, doesn't have many miles of road and has mainly paved roads that are mostly flat, Warren said.

"It's a good spot for us to save some money and be environmentally friendly," he said. "I'm excited about them and looking forward to taking them on a shorter trip."

The electric buses have a 140-mile range, so while they cannot go to Little Rock and back, they can be used for trips to places such as Siloam Springs and possibly Alma, Warren said.

The electric bus purchase follows other energy efficiency projects approved by the School Board since 2021.

The board approved a $3.88 million energy savings performance contract with Entegrity to audit school facilities with an eye toward finding opportunities for energy savings. Projects coming out of that work have included solar arrays at the high school and Williams Elementary, LED lighting, water conservation measures, new HVAC equipment, HVAC tuneups and emergency power generation.

"We're kinda taking the lead in the state on energy and sustainability," Laffoon said.

The contract with Entegrity guaranteed to reduce the district's annual energy and maintenance expenses by $282,000. Farmington realized a savings of $540,439 for the first year after the implementation of the energy savings projects, from October 2023 to September 2024, according to a report Entegrity gave the School Board last fall.

"We've set the district up for cost savings in the future and are setting an example for clean energy in the state," Laffoon said.

Farmington superintendent: Electric buses another way district is taking the lead on energy efficiency in Arkansas | Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette