A school district in Maryland is learning the hard way about the consequences of virtue signaling. Maryland’s largest school district in Montgomery County discovered, through an Inspector General’s report, that their initiative to implement electric buses resulted in “millions of dollars in wasteful spending,” as reported by WTOP.
The wasteful spending was attributed to late deliveries and maintenance issues, according to the Inspector General’s report. At a ribbon-cutting ceremony in October 2022, Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) proudly announced that their 326 new electric buses would save 6,500 gallons of fuel daily and reduce costs by 50%. However, the reality was far from their expectations. Since signing a $168 million contract for the buses, MCPS has faced significant delays, as reported by WTOP.
The Office of the Inspector General revealed that the buses were consistently delivered behind schedule. Many buses scheduled for fiscal year 2022 arrived after Christmas, missing the start of the school year deadline. As a result, MCPS failed to hold the contractor accountable to the contract terms, leading to millions of dollars in wasteful spending, as stated in the IG report.
A similar scenario unfolded in fiscal year 2024, with only 37 out of 120 buses delivered by the end of September. Mechanical and charging failures also plagued the electric bus fleet, causing numerous buses to be inoperable for extended periods. Repairs took an average of 13 days, with more than half exceeding five working days, according to WTOP.
Consequently, in October 2023, the school board had to approve the purchase of 90 diesel buses for over $14.7 million to address the shortfall. This raises questions about the efficiency of government spending and the allocation of taxpayer dollars.
Who would have thought that virtue signaling could come at such a high cost?
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