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Board hears urgent bus-replacement and driver-pay proposals as fleet nears end of life
Summary
Staff said many school buses are aging, replacement cost is about $130,000 per vehicle, 15 buses are marked due for replacement and immediate needs are estimated at five vehicles; staff proposed moving drivers to a 5-hour daily pay rate to reflect route time.
Warren County school officials told the School Board that the division's vehicle fleet is aging and poses near-term operational risk unless replacements and maintenance investments are approved.
Staff presented a fleet-status summary showing multiple buses have reached replacement mileage and that the unit cost to replace a bus is about $130,000. "To replace one bus is around $130,000," a presenter said, adding the fleet currently lists 15 buses due for replacement and at least five that should be replaced soon to avoid service interruptions.
Why it matters: transportation staff said limited spare capacity has already forced the district to restrict trips outside the regular perimeter and increases the time students spend on buses because routes are consolidated.
Proposed operational fixes: staff recommended several near-term actions:
- move regular bus-driver pay from a 4.5-hour to a 5-hour daily rate to better reflect actual route timing; staff explained the calculation used to recast contract pay into an hourly/daily base;
- evaluate rehydraulicing the existing bus lift rather than full replacement to save capital costs; transportation staff flagged that one lift's hydraulics are failing and recommended further analysis;
- prioritize replacement of at least five buses while planning for longer-term fleet renewal (15 vehicles show as due for replacement in documentation).
Board members asked for specific lifespan and mileage thresholds; staff said they would check prior documents and return with exact average lifespan numbers and a refined replacement schedule.
No formal vote was taken; staff will provide more detailed mileage and replacement schedules and cost options in follow-up materials.
