Board approves four new school bus purchases

Published 5:00 am Wednesday, June 6, 2007

The Lincoln County School Board approved the purchase of fournew school buses Monday night in their continuing efforts toreplace aging vehicles in the fleet.

Board members lamented the escalating costs of school buses.Members who have served on the board for several terms said theycan remember purchasing buses for $40,000 each. The buses purchasedMonday cost nearly $62,500 each.

It was the fourth year the district has purchased four newbuses, said Superintendent Terry Brister.

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“We’re getting our fleet up to date,” he said. “Some of ourbuses are pretty old and showing their age. This has really helpedus.”

The district maintains a fleet of approximately 50 buses,Brister said, and by purchasing and retiring four buses a year thedistrict is able to keep its fleet operating smoothly. Retiredbuses are sold to help offset the cost of the new buspurchases.

In other matters, Business Manager Cheryl Shelby reiterated thatthe district will not be requesting a millage increase from thecounty to bolster its budget for next year.

“I’m requesting only the amount mills bring in this year. Nomore,” she said.

However, there will be a slight increase in its funding as aresult of some growth in the county’s property values, which makeseach mill produce more in tax income for the district.

A public hearing on the 2007-2008 budget will be held June 18 at4:30 p.m. in the central office. Board members will meet again at 4p.m. June 27 in the central office to approve the final budget.

Shelby also reported that the district received a good reportduring its annual audit.

“We did really well on our audit,” she said. “We’re in goodfinancial shape.”

The audit reported no discrepancies, Shelby said.