St. Martin Parish board moves to replace buses and pilot routing transponder; debate over air conditioning and spares

Transportation staff told the St. Martin Parish School Board on May 20 that the district needs to replace aging and unsafe buses and recommended purchasing five regular buses and two spare vehicles.

"We lost 2 buses in our fleet so we need some numbers on 5 regular buses and 2 spare buses," a transportation staff member said, citing incidents and equipment failures that left teams stranded and buses unsafe to operate.

Board members discussed specifications and priorities. Some trustees favored ordering air-conditioned buses for all new purchases; others urged balancing cost and delivery time. "Instead of spending all this money on 3 new regular buses and 2 sped buses, we need to think about air condition for all our buses," one trustee said. Transportation staff warned some replacement buses may not arrive quickly: lead times for new buses can be about a year.

Staff also described a routing/transponder program intended to make routes more efficient and reduce fuel and phone-call volume from parents checking bus status. The administration said the software rollout is "on track" but may require up to a year for calibration and data cleanup. "Just like with any software program, you gotta have implementation, setup and training," a staff member said.

A motion to establish the bus purchase was raised by Board member Colby; the transcript records discussion about whether the purchase should include air conditioning but does not record a final tally in the public record excerpt. The board directed staff to proceed with procurement planning, evaluate AC options and present cost/delivery estimates at a future meeting.

Transportation staff also said they will continue to pilot the transponder system during summer programs and work with routing vendors and local drivers to refine stop assignments and savings projections.