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Board reviews $540,262 bus purchase agreement; staff says grants not currently applicable for diesel fleet replacements
Summary
Board members reviewed a purchase agreement to buy three 72-passenger regular buses and one 72-passenger wheelchair bus from Cardinal Bus Sales via the Ohio Schools Council cooperative for $540,262 and discussed fleet replacement timing and alternative-fuel grant limitations.
The Orange City School District Board of Education reviewed a purchase agreement for three 72-passenger regular buses and one 72-passenger wheelchair bus from Cardinal Bus Sales through the Ohio Schools Council Cooperative Business Purchasing Program for a total of $540,262.
District staff said the vehicles will replace older buses as part of the annual fleet replacement plan and that approving the purchase locks in current prices. A staff member noted that bus prices have risen over time; a speaker reflected that buses previously cost about $80,000 and now commonly exceed $100,000.
Board members asked about delivery timing and useful life. Transportation staff said deliveries are on schedule for the district’s needs and estimated useful life in northeast Ohio at approximately 10 to 12 years if maintained normally. The discussion also addressed alternative-fuel vehicles: staff said grants exist for some alternative-fuel buses but that such grants typically do not cover the full cost and that infrastructure to fuel electric or natural-gas buses (charging stations, fueling installations) would be additional and costly. The district indicated it had no applicable grant now to fully offset acquisition or infrastructure costs for non-diesel buses.
No formal vote to purchase was recorded in the public portion of the minutes excerpted in the transcript; the board received the purchase agreement for review and asked staff to continue procurement follow-up.
