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Swain County Schools outlines seven-year maintenance-vehicle replacement plan; board to review funding options

Swain County Board of Education · January 13, 2026
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Summary

Maintenance staff presented a seven-year plan to replace aging vehicles, prioritize the most critical units in years 1–2, and explore financing options including fleet purchasing, leasing and use of year-end surplus or lottery/capital funds.

Tommy, the district’s maintenance lead, presented a seven-year vehicle replacement plan aimed at replacing aging fleet units and improving staff safety and reliability.

Tommy said the plan prioritizes replacements in the first two years for the most critical vehicles (including an 1987 dump truck) and suggested a rotation that would allow the district to trade in vehicles while they still have resale value. He presented a Mountain Ford quote for replacement of selected units and said fleet purchasing through state contracts or direct fleet pricing was being explored. Board members raised concerns about leasing costs (insurance requirements cited) and discussed capital-funding options, including Article 46 capital purchases, potential lottery funds and using year-end surplus; staff noted the district saved about $250,000 last year and suggested that a portion could be appropriated for vehicle purchases.

Trustees asked staff to return in February with options on funding sources, leasing vs. purchase comparisons and a prioritized replacement schedule.

What happens next: administration and finance will present funding scenarios (lottery, capital funding, fund-balance options, and grant searches through RESA) and cost estimates at a future meeting.