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Board weighs possible bus purchases, drivers and costs; majority cautious amid competing capital needs
Summary
Board members and staff discussed a community‑led proposal to buy used large buses for high‑school routes. District transportation staff cautioned that available buses lack air conditioning and that purchasing would require hiring drivers and investing millions; several board members opposed immediate purchases given competing capital priorities.
District transportation and operations staff updated the board on a community opportunity to purchase used 72–77‑passenger buses. Doctor Jones (transportation/safety remarks) said the vendor indicated there were more than 20 buses available and estimated a stock price of roughly $136,000 per bus; with equipment and features (cameras, heat and added items) the per‑bus equip price would rise toward $150,000.
"If we wanted to purchase a 20 buses ... it'd be roughly $3,000,000," the transportation staff said. Board members and staff noted additional costs beyond purchase price: retrofitting for air conditioning (the district has equipped its current buses), ongoing maintenance, fuel, routing, storage and the need to recruit and hire drivers. One district estimate presented in the discussion put drivers and associated costs for a fleet expansion at roughly $3.6 million (driver salaries without full benefits), and panelists said total near‑term costs could be north of $10 million when staffing and operating costs were included.
Board members debated the merits of any immediate purchase. Several board members emphasized other urgent capital needs — building HVAC upgrades, modular classrooms in use beyond original timelines, roof repairs and school renovation priorities — and questioned whether purchasing buses would be the best use of limited district capital funds. "For me, at this present time ... we would not have anyone to really scribe those buses," one board member said, noting driver shortages.
Staff said the district continues to recruit drivers and that some drivers have been hired, but the district would still need significant recruitment to operate a materially expanded fleet. Board members called for a comprehensive plan that includes routing, staffing, and long‑term capital trade‑offs.
Ending: The board did not approve an immediate purchase; members asked staff to continue to explore options and return with costed scenarios, including staffing, maintenance, and routing impacts.
