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DRIVING THE INDUSTRY SINCE 1991


S.C. BUDGET FOR NEW BUSES UNCERTAIN DESPITE EXCESS LOTTERY FUNDS


While extra lottery revenues in South Carolina are generally


good news for public schools, it is premature to assume that the $26 million will be funneled toward purchasing brand-new school buses, said Department of Education spokesman Jay Ragley. He noted that it is ultimately the governor’s budget that determines how any education dollars get spent. Te House approved the proposed executive budget, which


earmarks $10 million to purchase new yellow buses, but the Senate is still considering it. Ragley said the deadline for an approved state budget is July 1. Education Superintendent Mick Zais said in May that he hoped senators will spend the full $26 million on new school buses. Te state of South Carolina owns and operates a fleet of school buses that is widely acknowledged as the oldest in the nation, even by the DOE. Approximately two-thirds of the 5,600 buses are at least 15 years old, which means some stu- dents are riding the same buses that once ferried their parents. In January, Zais learned about the surplus lottery revenue


and recommended putting it toward the $46 million the DOE had requested of Gov. Nikki Haley last fall. “Based on revenue estimates, he knew there was going to


be excess lottery money, so he said we should reroute that for school buses,” Ragley added in an interview with STN. “If they were to allocate all the lottery funds to new buses, it would be a much-needed boost, but so far it’s not definite.” Since a new school bus costs $90,000 on average, $26 million


would cover the purchase of about 288 new buses. State law recommends a 15-year bus replacement cycle yet does not require it, and the General Assembly has yet to fully the the replacement program, Ragley said.


He also pointed out that the $10.5 million currently


budgeted for new school buses next year is less than last year’s $12-million allocation. “We’ll see what the Senate does. Tey can change the


budget, and it can go back and forth. We just don’t know how much money will be for buses,” he said.


Ü WEB POLL Last month, the STN Special Report "Analyze the


Workforce" discussed the latest dilemma facing student transportation departments and employees: the federal healthcare overhaul. The Patient Protection and Afford- able Care Act that goes into effect on Jan. 1 requires business with 50 or more employees, or most school districts nationwide, to offer heathcare benefits. As a result, employees such as school bus drivers are being reclassified as part-time employees and/or are seeing their hours cut. What has been the reaction of your school district? Vote today at www.stnonline.com.


Repeatability Matters!


Because


• Computerized cutting provides repeatability for the best fit and finish in the industry.


• Large distribution network.


• Passenger securement systems.


800.543.8222 www.besi-inc.com Supplier Council Member See Us At Booth D www.stnonline.com 29


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