Hingham School Committee Approves 10 Electric Buses, Emergency Roof Repair Funds

HINGHAM — September 29, 2025 — Hingham School Committee unanimously approved a conditional contract for 10 electric school buses and released $65,000 in emergency repair funds after a hidden structural roof failure at South Elementary. Assistant Superintendent Aisha Milot presented a seven-year electric bus contract projected to cost approximately $1.7 million total, with a heavily grant-subsidized first year at $8,000 per bus — a savings of roughly $200,000 compared to diesel in year one alone. Approval was conditioned on receipt of a pending Massachusetts state grant and a legal review by town counsel John Coughlin, with the committee noting that expiring federal funds made acting quickly essential. Director of Facilities Matthew Manion told the committee that emergency repairs completed over Labor Day weekend fixed a section of South Elementary's corrugated steel roof deck found to be riddled with holes, with the total repair bill hitting approximately $175,000, of which $65,927.55 will be drawn from the town-meeting-approved $500,000 extraordinary capital repair fund. Manion warned that uninspected flat-roof sections of the same building could harbor similar damage, and plans to open ceilings during Thanksgiving break.