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Board approves $175 activity‑bus mileage fee, asks staff to plan fleet replacement
Summary
The board approved raising the activity bus mileage fee from $150 to $175 to fund GPS tracking and rising costs, and directed staff to develop a multi‑year plan for replacing aging activity buses.
The Rockingham County Board of Education approved an increase in the activity bus mileage fee from $150 to $175 at its Aug. 6 meeting, and directed staff to develop a plan to rotate and replace aging activity buses.
Dr. Dover told the board the increase would allow the district to fund GPS units on activity buses and provide a small margin to address rising costs. "It allows us to fully fund the GPS part of it and that's what we really want to pay for," Dover said, noting the district already tracks regular yellow bus GPS but not all activity buses.
Board members asked whether the fee would create an additional burden on schools. Dover and Dr. Perkins clarified that activity‑bus fees are charged to user groups and that the athletics-related participation fee is separate and held by schools; equipment and usage funds for athletics remain at the school level. "All that money stays at the school," Perkins said.
Board members also pressed staff about the age of the activity-fleet vehicles and a plan for replacements; staff estimated a significant portion of activity buses are beyond the state-recommended replacement thresholds (20 years or around 250,000 miles). The board approved a motion that included direction to develop a replacement/rotation plan and to return to the board with recommendations.
The motion to approve the transportation fee increase was moved and seconded and passed by voice vote; the meeting minutes recorded 12 ayes.
