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Scobey K-12 Schools approves purchase of activity bus, contingent on sale or trade of existing cruiser
Summary
Trustees voted to buy a replacement activity/route bus offered to the district, provided the district can sell or trade its current cruiser; members discussed depreciation, fleet needs and a cheaper in‑stock 54-passenger alternative.
At a Scobey K-12 Schools meeting, trustees approved acquiring an activity/route bus offered for immediate delivery, contingent on the district’s ability to sell or trade its existing cruiser.
The item originated in transportation committee discussions, where a staff member said the committee’s top priority had been a 50‑passenger custom yellow bus for routes and activities. "Priority number 1 was to buy a 50 passenger yellow bus," the staff member said, but added that a 54‑passenger yellow bus was currently available in‑state for about $40,000 — roughly $30,000 less than the custom option.
The staff member described an alternative plan to acquire a 15‑passenger activity bus to address shortages of CDL‑qualified drivers for large buses and suggested trading a relatively new Suburban toward that purchase. He cautioned, however, that the newly offered cruiser‑replacement bus would be "expensive" and that buying it would deplete the transportation account until depreciation rebuilt funds: "If we move on this, we are not talking anything transportation for a year," the staff member said.
Committee members asked about route coverage if the district bought the cruiser replacement; staff said the existing 54‑passenger bus could continue the route. Trustees also discussed the practical difficulty of disposing of the old cruiser if the vendor would not accept it in trade. Members estimated the cruiser’s private resale value at roughly $5,000 to $8,000.
A committee member moved to acquire the bus "as presented," and another member seconded. During discussion the mover amended the motion to make the purchase conditional on the district’s ability to sell or trade the existing cruiser; the same member seconded the amended motion. The chair called for a voice vote; members responded "aye," and the motion passed. Individual votes were not recorded in the transcript.
The meeting ended immediately after the vote. The district’s next steps are to confirm whether the cruiser can be sold or traded and, if so, to complete the acquisition and process the necessary asset disposition and accounting entries.
