District details bus fire, fleet strain and new camera rollout after Oct. 3 incident

The Saint Francis Area Schools transportation supervisor reported to the board that the 2024–25 school year has “been smooth, except for a few bumps,” but that a propane-powered bus fire on Oct. 3 revealed both a vulnerability and a safety feature in the fleet.

In a presentation, the transportation supervisor said the bus involved was a 2024 International Model 3000 propane 77‑passenger vehicle (Bus 17) with 28,167 miles and delivered Dec. 18, 2023. The supervisor said the driver evacuated students out the front of the bus and the vehicle was empty “in less than 40 seconds.” She added that the bus’s propane fuel system has a float mechanism that shut fuel off after a hose was severed by heat.

The district reported it ordered five new buses (first deliveries beginning in January) and has begun installing a cloud‑based camera system that will permit real‑time viewing and cloud storage of audio/video, reducing staff time spent pulling hard drives. The supervisor said they also had four engines rebuilt this year and that parts shortages for older vehicles have required nonstandard sourcing, including purchases on eBay.

School staff gave counts and operational details: 72 vehicles in the fleet, nearly 1,000,000 miles driven by the fleet last year, 53 licensed school bus drivers, 25 bus educational assistants, four mechanics, two route specialists and one safety manager; two drivers were in training at the time of the report. The district said mechanics and office staff regularly cover routes when drivers are absent and that this increases overtime and reduces time available for mechanic work.

An investigation team from Navistar and the dealer, Fulton Transportation, inspected the burned bus on Oct. 10; the district said the investigator offered a theory but cautioned the precise cause may be impossible to determine. The transportation supervisor said investigators inspected the district’s other International buses and did not find confirming evidence to support a single clear cause.

Board members pressed on operational impacts of the district’s 90‑minute late‑start days. Transportation staff described recurring routing problems when students attend multiple districts or when families and caretakers are unclear about adjusted pickup times. The supervisor described frequent calls where parents reported a bus had passed their stop because the family had not added 90 minutes to the usual pickup time.

Board members praised the bus driver and the local neighbors who assisted with the evacuation and asked about timelines for the camera installation; the supervisor said the new cameras will be installed in new buses starting in January and in additional vehicles thereafter.

The board did not take formal action on the transportation report; the superintendent recommended continued recruitment of drivers and continued mechanic support to keep buses running.

Provenance: District transportation presentation and Q&A, Oct. meeting. Excerpts: “The start of the 20 25, 26 school year has been smooth, except for a few bumps.” and “Our driver Rick did exactly the right thing when he evacuated the students out the front of the bus. The bus was empty in less than 40 seconds.”

Ending — The district plans staged bus replacements and camera rollouts beginning in January, and the transportation office said it will continue recruiting and using overtime and back‑fill from mechanics and office staff to maintain routes while it reduces maintenance backlog.