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Board approves RFP for two 71‑passenger school buses, defers activity bus
Summary
Trustees voted to issue a request for proposals for two 71‑passenger school buses and declined to include a rear‑engine activity bus in the RFP because of high cost and long‑term replacement modeling. Transportation staff said activity buses are 85% state‑reimbursable and often needed for athletics and large equipment storage; trustees asked for a
Trustees voted to authorize an RFP for two 71‑passenger school buses and excluded a rear‑engine activity bus from the purchase request.
Trustee Turner said the proposed activity bus—quoted in the discussion at roughly $240,000—would significantly change the district’s 10‑year replacement model and that the district’s budget assumptions assumed a smaller annual price increase. He moved to limit the RFP to two 71‑passenger buses to preserve the bus replacement fund schedule and to allow staff to return with an updated financial model.
Transportation staff explained the activity bus previously provided under‑floor storage for large equipment needed on long trips (football, track, multi‑day field trips) and that the activity bus is subject to an approximately 85% state reimbursement over its lifetime, which reduces net cost to the district. Staff said the district has only one remaining activity bus with limited remaining service life and that lead time for bus orders can be long (staff estimated multi‑year delivery timelines).
Trustees voted by voice to approve moving forward with the RFP for the two standard buses and to exclude the activity bus from this round. The board asked administration to return at the September meeting with updated modeling showing the financial impacts of adding an activity bus to the replacement cadence.
