Ohio Launches $10M School Bus Safety Grant Program

Ohio Governor Mike DeWine and the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce Director Stephen D. Dackin have launched the Ohio School Bus Safety Grant Program with a $10 million fund to enhance school bus safety statewide. This initiative provides competitive grants to eligible public and private schools for the repair, replacement, or addition of authorized safety features on existing buses or new purchases with improved safety measures. The program follows recommendations from the Ohio School Bus Safety Working Group, which concluded in a January 2024 report that while school buses remain the safest student transportation mode, there is room for safety improvements. The grant program allows districts to customize safety upgrades according to their specific needs and budgets. Eligible applicants include city, local, exempted village, joint vocational school districts, community schools, chartered nonpublic schools, STEM schools, educational service centers, and county boards of developmental disabilities. Applications for the grants must be submitted by November 14, 2025.