On May 18, voters will decide on a proposition to purchase eight buses as part of the district’s long-term bus replacement plan. The purchase of these vehicles will not exceed a cost of $974,092.
The replacement plan provides stability in the cost of maintaining a bus fleet that is safe, reliable and efficient. Older buses and vehicles that cost more to maintain are taken out of service for student transportation. This purchase would allow seven buses that are being retired from the district’s fleet to be auctioned off this year, providing some revenue.
This year’s proposal calls for the purchase of six full-size (72 passenger) buses and two smaller 36-passenger buses. The district is focused on maintaining a fleet that is versatile and meets a range of student transportation needs.
The annual budget impact of the bus purchases is relatively stable because the district retires debt from previous purchases as new buses come online. State aid reimburses the district for about 60 percent of the cost of buses. While the vehicles will only be purchased if the proposition is approved, the financing costs are already accounted for in the proposed budget. In other words, the bus purchase proposition is not an addition to the budget, but is already factored into it.