The Houston Public School District board authorized the superintendent to purchase a replacement school bus for up to $88,000 to replace a vehicle that the district expects will not pass DOT inspection.

District staff told the board they had identified several used buses in the roughly $82,000'$88,000 range and that one available vehicle would be driven to the district for inspection by the district mechanic and bus crew. Staff said repairing the older bus would cost "way too much," so the district sought authorization to move forward if a suitable bus became available between board meetings.

A board member moved to approve a purchase authorization up to $88,000. The motion received a second and passed in open session. The district said it will require mechanical inspection and will seek warranty options where available, such as a two-year transmission warranty on candidate vehicles. Staff also said used-bus market prices in the meeting ranged from roughly $125,000 to $140,000 for some models, with the district's selected options being newer and lower-mileage and priced under that range.

District staff will report back to the board with the selected bus details and VIN once the purchase is completed and the mechanic has inspected the vehicle.