INDUSTRY CONNECTIONS
SMART SPENDING WRITTEN BY MICHELLE FISHER S
chool bus replacement schedules vary from state to state and district to district, depend- ing on legislative mandates, funding sources, geography and other differences that influence
decision makers. Tough all have a common goal of upgrading bus fleets as often as possible, each entity faces unique challenges. In Washington state, school districts must use
local funds to cover the initial bus purchase, and the state then provides reimbursement based on the current-year state price. Te Indiana Legislature altered the flow of school district funding streams in 2010, which impacted bus replacement schedules there. In South Carolina, which is the only state that owns and operates all of its school buses, the law requires buses to be replaced every 12 years, but only if budget dollars are available. Marshall Casey, who retired in September after
serving 37 years as director of maintenance and training at the South Carolina Department of Education, said school officials might delete a line item for new buses from the transportation budget without understanding that the cost savings project- ed on paper are not the reality. “It’s easy to say we’ll operate those buses for an-
other year. But when you cut that line item, it’s not total savings — so, take out 20 percent to put back into the operating side. Most decision makers don’t
22 School Transportation News March 2013
realize that. Tey know nothing about maintaining school buses,” said Casey. Ten years ago, he noted, the majority of U.S.
school districts maintained a 10- to 12-year bus replacement schedule, but now some have been pushed to 15 years or more. With one of the nation’s oldest fleets, South Carolina recently purchased 342 newly manufactured school buses to replace models more than 25 years old — the first purchase of its kind since 2008. During purchasing droughts, Casey said fleet
managers need to step up maintenance on older school buses to improve efficiencies. “If you’ve got to keep your buses longer, look
at components that you can upgrade. Tere are high-efficiency alternators that deliver the power you need and more efficiently, for less drag on the engine, which increases fuel economy. Replace standard lighting with LED lighting, which uses less power,” he advised. “You have to look at different things that can potentially increase savings for you.”
FUNDING CHALLENGES Mike Kenney, regional transportation coordinator
for Educational Service District 101 in Spokane, Wash., oversees the state’s school bus specification and inspection programs. It’s his job to educate the school officials in his region on smart spending. »
STUDENT TRANSPORTERS SHARE HOW THEY COPE WITH LENGTHENED BUS REPLACEMENT SCHEDULES
£ Transportation Director Rich Robins of North Miami (Ind.) Community
Schools said bus maintenance was easier when he could replace school buses every 10 years instead of 12, because they take a beating on rough rural roads.
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