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Committee reviews transportation plan: two buses from a non-diesel fleet and GPS app evaluation
Summary
Staff said the district is two buses away from a fully non-diesel fleet, cautioned that propane buses have higher upfront costs and garage needs, and said the district is evaluating routing/GPS replacements ("Where's the Bus" app contract nearing renewal). A two-year First Student extension with 5% annual increases was also noted.
District staff briefed the finance committee on June 2 about transportation and community education items tied to the upcoming budget.
Miss Hower summarized transportation highlights, saying the district is close to a fully non-diesel bus fleet and is "two buses away from being a fully non-diesel fleet." She warned the committee that alternative-fuel buses carry higher upfront costs and require different garage infrastructure, and that grant programs being explored typically cover the incremental cost for smaller fleet vehicles rather than large school buses.
The committee noted an extension to the district's First Student contract: staff said the board approved (in an earlier action) a two-year extension with a 5% year-over-year increase to bridge the district to a transportation feasibility study and a future RFP.
On student-communication technology, staff said the current GPS/parent app (referred to as "Where's the Bus") is under contract and the district is evaluating replacement routing, GPS and parent-app packages as contracts come up for renewal. Staff emphasized that last-minute bus swaps due to breakdowns remain an operational challenge regardless of software, and that any new GPS system would need processes to update routes in real time.
Community education staff presented highlights on summer camps and noncredit classes, noting the enterprise fund is self-sustaining and that registration numbers and course counts will be provided in the written packet for board review.
Miss Hower closed the segment with budget context: propane bid projections for next year show about $12 per gallon versus $14 this year, and next-year diesel hedging is shown at approximately $2.11 per gallon on a roughly 45,000-gallon purchase estimate.
The transportation and community-education materials will appear in the full budget packet the board considers on June 18.
"We're two buses away from being a fully non-diesel fleet," Miss Hower said, and added that the environmental benefits must be weighed against capital and garage costs.
