Bridging tradition with innovation, the district is honoring its roots while pioneering a cleaner, healthier future in transportation

RED LAKE, Minn., Sept. 27, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Red Lake School District #38, the only public school district in Minnesota located within a sovereign tribal nation, has announced the addition of two new electric school buses and chargers to its fleet. With this announcement, the District has become one of the first public school districts in the U.S. with a 98% indigenous population to utilize funding from the EPA's Clean School Bus Program.

Red Lake School District #38 partnered with Highland Electric Fleets, the leading provider of school bus fleet Electrification-as-a-Service (EaaS) in North America, to bring healthier electric school buses to their students and community. This initiative underscores the district's commitment to energy transformation, in tandem with honoring its cultural heritage. The district's curriculum includes teaching the Ojibwe language, Ojibwemowin and honoring ancestral customs as they usher in the latest in sustainable transportation technology.

"As an educational institution, our priority is to provide learning opportunities for students and community members in as many ways as we can," said Tim Lutz, Red Lake Schools Superintendent. "We achieve this goal through standardized curricula, but also through the utilization of best practices in energy utilization and sustainability, while also teaching students about future career opportunities in cutting-edge fields both on and from the Red Lake Nation. We are very proud of our efforts resulting in acquiring our two electric school buses, and we are confident the buses will serve us well."

The district's new electric buses will help transport approximately 50 students each. With the necessary infrastructure in place, the electric buses can obtain an average range of 110 miles throughout the year with a full midday charge. The two buses are expected to travel a total of approximately 10,000 miles annually.

"This partnership presents a tremendous opportunity to support the Red Lake Nation and the state of Minnesota in their efforts to bring cleaner transportation to their students and community," said Duncan McIntyre, CEO and founder of Highland. "Our aim is to provide smaller rural districts like Red Lake Schools with equitable solutions for their school bus electrification, demonstrating that electric school buses can be accessible and affordable for everyone."

The District will hold a ribbon-cutting ceremony to launch the new buses at Red Lake Elementary School, 24900 Elementary Street, Red Lake, MN, 56671, on September 27th, 2024 at 10:30 a.m. The event will include Ojibwe traditions, keynote speakers from Red Lake Nation, the district, government officials, and a student from Red Lake, followed by an opportunity for attendees to take a short ride on one of the new electric buses.

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.

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 .

Media Contacts
Chris Orlando | Highland
[email protected]

SOURCE Highland Electric Fleets