District to purchase buses in five-year transportation plan

New buses and vans most likely will be integrated into Amherst Schools’ fiveyear transportation plan, which officials will finalize in the spring.

The Board of Education approved a resolution Feb. 22 as an early reflection of the plan regarding the purchase of a special needs bus and four 78-passenger buses, totaling about $417,000.

Superintendent Steve Sayers said during the board meeting that the district is looking to implement a rotational system for its vehicles that will be reflected in the five-year plan.

“What we want to do is get to a situation where all of our buses that are on our routes, which now I think is about 28, all those buses we want to have 10 years or newer, and then develop a process where as we start to replace buses, our older buses are then moved to spares,” Sayers said.

The district hopes to have six or seven buses as spares, which can be traded in or auctioned off as they become too old, he said.

These purchases are a short-term solution to transportation needs in the district and part of a longer-term plan to build its spare reserve of buses, Sayers said.

The new buses will be purchased with contingency dollars that previously were earmarked for the Powers Elementary School building project, which currently has more funds than needed.

Sayers said the purchases won’t negatively impact the district, since the money to buy them was set aside and has not been accounted for in the budget projections.

Additionally, another resolution may be on next month for the purchase of a new van with the district’s permanent improvement funds.

“One of the changes we’re looking at is moving from seven-passenger minivans to 12-passenger vans, which gives us a little more flexibility,” Sayers said.

The cost difference between the two types of vans is minimal, he said.