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Salem Central seeks voter approval to buy three buses and a $100,000 capital outlay; district cites high state aid
Summary
The district is asking voters to approve a serial-bond purchase of three buses (estimated $576,000) and a $100,000 capital outlay for security/ADA projects; administrators said expected state aid will greatly reduce the local net cost.
Superintendent Julie Collier told the budget hearing that the district will seek voter approval to purchase three buses through a five-year serial bond and to authorize a $100,000 capital outlay for small, one-year projects such as security upgrades and ADA improvements.
"The cost for the 3 buses, they're each 192,000, and so the total cost would be $576,000 for the 3 new buses," Collier said, and added the district expects roughly 88.6% transportation aid on eligible purchases, aligning aid payments with serial-bond payments.
Under the financing plan Collier described, the district would not have an immediate bond payment in year one, would begin paying in year two and expects gross annual payments around $130,000; after anticipated state aid the district estimated a net local cost near $21,000 per year for all three buses (about $7,000 per bus annually).
Collier said the proposed $100,000 capital outlay is an annual, allowable small-project tool the state authorizes that yields aid the following year; she cited an estimated aid rate of 80.1% on such outlays and said the district will use the money to finish security upgrades not fully covered by an earlier Smart Schools Bond Act grant and to fund small ADA projects that can be completed within a year.
Board members asked whether Salem’s high aid percentage was driven by route efficiency; a committee member noted Salem has a comparatively high transportation-efficiency metric, and Collier said that combination of routing and passenger counts helps explain the relatively high reimbursement.
The hearing also included a discussion about a state requirement to purchase electric buses for new purchases starting in 2027. Collier said the district is planning fleet replacements with an eye toward longevity (8–10 years if buses are owned) and noted districts can apply for waivers and that legislation has been proposed to alter the mandate.
Collier warned that if voters reject the bus proposition the district could face a temporary shortage of two buses when leases expire and would need to consider leasing, repurposing fund balance or altering routes. She said past community votes have generally supported local bus referendums.
The bus and capital-outlay propositions are scheduled for the district ballot on May 19; no formal vote took place at the hearing itself.
