Red Lake School District Becomes One of the First School Districts Serving Indigenous Students to Electrify Its School Bus Fleet

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Oct 24, 2023, 09:00 ET

In partnership with Highland Electric Fleets, the school bus deployment will aid in tribal land preservation and the energy transition for Indigenous Peoples

BEVERLY, Mass., Oct. 24, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Red Lake School District #38, Minnesota's only school district located in a sovereign tribal nation, today announced its partnership with Highland Electric Fleets, the leading provider of school bus fleet Electrification-as-a-Service (EaaS) in North America. As part of the partnership, Highland will deliver two Blue Bird Type C electric school buses, serving the district's 1,560 students, as well as install two chargers for its bus depot. With the announcement, Red Lake Schools becomes one of the first school districts serving Indigenous students in America to move forward with implementing funding from Round 1 of EPA's Clean School Bus Program (CSBP), which granted the district $790,000 for the procurement of the buses and chargers.

"Red Lake School District is very honored to be the recipient of these two electric school buses. As a larger employer in our community, we are excited to be leading the way with sustainable energy initiatives such as electric school buses, and to be the recipient of not only one, but two electric school buses, is very exciting for the Red Lake community. Schools are leaders within their communities, and, as such, schools educate leaders of the future, so it is important that school districts pave the way with initiatives such as sustainable energy programs. This important partnership also shows our Indigenous community that they have as much a right to such cutting-edge technology as any other community in the nation," said Tim Lutz, Red Lake Schools Superintendent.

Highland Electric Fleets offers a turnkey suite of solutions by combining private capital with public funding. It removes the upfront costs for school districts to upgrade their bus fleets to electric, while also taking on the responsibility of procuring the buses and charging equipment; electrifying the bus depot; covering electricity, maintenance and labor costs; training bus drivers and mechanics; managing charging and potential vehicle-to-grid (V2G) participation, and guaranteeing bus performance for the duration of the contract – all at a cost that is less than or equal to what a district currently spends on transportation.

"This is an incredible opportunity to support the Red Lake Nation and the state of Minnesota in their journey to bring cleaner transportation to their students and community," said Duncan McIntyre, CEO and founder at Highland. "Enabling smaller rural districts like Red Lake Schools with equitable solutions for their buses is a priority for us and proves that electrification can be simple, accessible and affordable for all."

About Highland Electric Fleets
Highland Electric Fleets is the leading provider of electrification-as-a-service for school districts, governments, and fleet operators in North America. Founded in 2019, Highland offers a unique suite of products that make it simple and affordable to upgrade to electric fleets today. Active in 30 states and Canada, Highland is responsible for the first use of electric school buses in a commercial vehicle-to-grid (V2G) program and the largest electric school bus project in the United States to date. To learn more, visit www.highlandfleets.com.

About Red Lake Schools
Red Lake Schools is located in northern Minnesota on the Red Lake Nation. The district covers approximately 1,014 square miles of land and water, and serves the communities of Red Lake, Ponemah, Little Rock, and Redby. The District serves a student body that is 99.8% Native American with a mission to cultivate each student's respect for themselves, the culture of the Red Lake Nation and the global community; offer an engaging and relevant academic curriculum with Anishinaabe language and culture; create a safe and positive learning environment and work together with students, parents, staff and community to provide all students with the tools and skills to achieve their full potential.

Media Contacts
Mission Control Communications | Highland
[email protected]

Red Lake Schools | Rebecca Swanson
[email protected]

SOURCE Highland Electric Fleets