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Williamston staff recommend purchase of one new school bus; board to vote in April
Summary
District staff reported the best bid of $142,482 from Midwest Transit for a new International-model bus and said installation of radios and cameras is not included. The board deferred a formal vote until the April meeting.
District staff told the Williamston Community Schools Board of Education that the best bid for a single new school bus was $142,482 from Midwest Transit for an International-model vehicle and recommended the purchase, but the board deferred a formal vote until its April meeting.
Superintendent Adam and other staff described a long-term plan to replace buses on roughly a 10-year cycle and noted a forthcoming "bubble" of buses reaching that replacement threshold toward the end of the decade. "When I started... the average price of a new bus was about 84 to 86,000... fast forward to today... the best rate we got was $142,482," Adam said.
Staff said the vendor has the bus in stock and the district expects to stencil, fit and install equipment; radio and camera hardware costs were discussed as separate from the base bus price. "The cameras and the radios are not included with the bus purchase," a staff member said, and the district plans to move equipment from older vehicles where appropriate.
Transportation staff said the bus will replace a regular-route vehicle, with that replaced bus becoming a substitute vehicle and another older sub bus likely used for parts and eventual scrapping. The matter was scheduled for a formal vote on the April agenda; no final purchase decision was made at the March meeting.
The discussion included questions about delivery timing and installation logistics; staff said a stock unit is already identified and installation and stenciling could take additional time.
