Board revises five-year capital plan to spread bus purchases; members debate funding and priorities

The Washington County Board of Education voted to approve revisions to the district's five-year capital plan after discussing ways to reduce a single-year spike in expenditures tied to planned bus purchases.

Staff presented a revised schedule that breaks a planned purchase of seven buses into multiple fiscal years to spread cost and better manage the capital fund balance. The staff presentation said the seven-bus purchase on the original schedule was shown as $1,120,000 for the current fiscal-year slot and that an earlier approved plan had placed several buses and related costs in a single year at $3,500,000. Staff recommended moving some purchases into fiscal years 2027, 2028 and 2029 to avoid a single-year peak.

District staff also proposed reinstating asphalt and site repairs previously removed from the June plan (adjusted from an earlier $400,000 estimate to $500,000), phasing the planned Lamar work over more than one year (an estimated $2.5 million split across FY27 and FY28 in staff's projection), and moving an identified Sulphur Springs HVAC replacement earlier from FY29 into FY28. Staff reported that, with the adjustments, the educational capital fund balance would remain just under $5 million this year, around $4 million in the following year, and drop to roughly $2.5 million after the large expenditures shown in FY28 and FY29.

Board members raised several concerns: that county commission contributions (the 'penny' revenue stream) had not increased to match higher bus prices; that bus unit costs had risen substantially since the plan was first discussed; and that not all capital needs (roofs, parking lots, site work) are reflected on the five-year plan because doing so would greatly exceed forecast revenues. One board member noted the district had received only a single bid on a project and expressed caution about relying on estimates without firm contracts.

To reduce immediate fiscal pressure, staff said mechanics can pursue additional annual inspections to extend the service life of some buses (at a nominal inspection cost—staff estimated under $1,000 per inspection), which could allow certain buses to remain in service an additional year beyond the typical replacement cycle.

During the meeting, one board member requested removing a large Lamar line-item from the plan to allow more time for detailed costing; the board approved the revisions as presented with the removed item to be revisited during the next budget cycle. The motion passed after a roll-call vote.