School district mulls buying 10 new buses

Added routes, field trips create a growing need, official says.

The Lake Travis school board will consider during its Oct. 20 meeting whether to buy 10 new school buses with some of the remaining money from the 2012 bond funding.

The school district used a major part of the $158.5 million bond to build Lake Travis Middle School and West Cypress Hills Elementary School and make updates and additions to other schools.

Approximately $2.5 million remains of the amount, and Assistant Superintendent for Business and Financial Services Johnny Hill said the district’s transportation department has the most dire need for some of the money.

Hill said $1.1 million could pay for 10 new buses to add to the district’s fleet of 70. Currently, 63 buses are designated for routes, with seven buses held in reserve for field trips and for backup in case of maintenance issues, which are common, Hill said.

The transportation department has roughly $7,000 in its account balance. One 72-passenger bus costs roughly $100,000. Currently, the district contracts with a company to get buses on loan for three football games.

“In the last five years, we’ve added 20 routes, which is a lot,” Hill said at the Sept. 15 board meeting. “Our seven reserve buses don’t leave a whole lot of margin. Especially when we’re talking about going on field trips and football games, with the team, the band, the Cavalettes (and) the drill team.”

School board members asked Hill if any other items need funding more urgently, what average bus ridership is and whether smaller passenger buses might save the district money. Hill emphasized that the ridership of the buses is growing even faster than the district’s student population.

“Another thing that’s come up in the media is seat belts,” Hill said. “We do not put seat belts on our buses because it’s not required by law, and most districts in the state don’t. It’s the safest vehicle on the road for a reason. Putting in seat belts makes it an additional $12,000.

The school board will vote whether to approve the expense during the Oct. 20 meeting.