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Board restores bus-assignment discretion, prioritizing oldest buses for air-conditioning
Summary
After public comment and board discussion, the Calcasieu Parish School Board voted to let transportation staff assign newly purchased air-conditioned buses by vehicle age (to remove oldest units from service) rather than by previously directed "longest routes." The board and staff noted operational and fairness concerns in the earlier approach.
The Calcasieu Parish School Board voted Nov. 12 to let the transportation department exercise discretion in assigning new air-conditioned buses and to prioritize replacement by vehicle age rather than by a longest-route allocation formula.
Board and staff said the earlier direction to assign air-conditioned buses to the "longest routes" proved difficult to administer and could produce unfair outcomes. "Let them decide where the buses go," board member S3 said during discussion, arguing that transportation staff are better positioned to judge vehicle assignment.
Public commenter David Crosby told the board he had followed bus issues for years and asked the board to consider the children who ride older buses. Multiple board members raised concerns about drivers who work all day and about ensuring equitable assignment. One board member said she worried politics could influence a route-based allocation and favored the replacement-by-age approach because it is less subjective.
Staff provided fleet figures during debate: roughly 60 buses currently have air conditioning in a fleet of about 300 vehicles, and staff said older vehicles (some approaching the end of serviceability) need to be removed from the road when parts become scarce.
The board's motion removed the specificity directing assignment by longest routes and restored discretion to transportation staff to use age and operational considerations when deploying new air-conditioned buses. Board members asked staff to ensure consideration for special-needs/lift-equipped vehicles and to engage with drivers on implementation details.
The motion passed and staff indicated implementation could begin immediately; the transcript records readiness to begin changes right away. No specific per-member vote tally was recorded in the transcript; the item was treated as a routine motion and passed in the meeting.
