Perryton ISD describes bus breakdowns, new bus deliveries and funding sources

Perryton Independent School District officials outlined recent bus-service problems, steps to replace units and where the money came from during the board meeting.

Superintendent (Speaker 3) described two recent breakdowns—Ranger 1 experienced crank-case pressure and went into limp mode while Ranger Red blew a hydraulic hose—and thanked Abernathy ISD and WTX Diesel of Abernathy for assistance in getting students to events. She noted Ranger Red has more than 300,000 miles but remains one of the drivers— preferred buses.

The superintendent said the district currently has Ranger 5 operating and three additional buses in Lubbock undergoing final preparation. She told trustees that one of those buses was purchased from the district's 23-24 fund balance and the others were funded via "VADER" monies as recorded in the meeting transcript. Transportation lead (Speaker 5) said estimated readiness dates included Oct. 7 and Oct. 20 for some units and that a yellow activity bus could arrive sooner, while other white activity buses may take several more weeks for graphics and final work.

Board members discussed the trade-offs between buying higher-cost Freightliner buses and lower-cost Ranger models, emphasizing the need to match expected useful life to financing choices. No formal financing change or new bond was proposed at the meeting.

District leaders asked the community for patience while the fleet is adjusted and said they would continue to use a mix of fund balance, VADER funds and careful procurement to address service reliability.