Officials Consider School Bus Purchase
In order to transport students in the most effective way possible, the Wolf Point School District is interested in purchasing a different activity bus by the end of the school year.
Wolf Point Superintendent of Schools Dr. David Perkins said officials are considering replacing bus #8, which is a flat-nosed 45-passenger white bluebird. The matter will be discussed at an upcoming school board meeting.
Originally, the thought was to replace a 14-passenger bus first, but officials feel the white bluebird needs attention earlier.
“I think it will be the first one we will have issues with,” Shawn Boysun, bus maintenance supervisor, said.
The 2016 model had 131,438 miles at the start of this school year. Boysun said the bus is currently used 3-5 times a week for activities.
The plan is that the replacement will likely be the same size and style. Once the bus is ordered, Boysun said it usually takes between 4-6 months for the bus to arrive.
Currently, six buses are used for activities. The vehicles include two MCI buses which carry between 52-56 passengers, bus #8, a flat-nosed 46-passenger yellow bus and a flat-nosed 83-passenger bus. The other vehicle is a 14-passenger Chevy Microbird, which is used seldom because the great majority of teams have higher numbers.
With the increased amount of participants, Boysun faces challenges to make sure there’s enough transportation for all the scheduled trips.
Perkins said there’s enough buses, “If we don’t break down. We’ve had two buses down at times. That’s why we’re making sure we have good buses.”
With the 14-passenger bus seldom used, an idea is to replace that bus near the end of this school year.
“We’re trying to put it in two different years,” Perkins explained.
Another challenge for the transportation department is the record-breaking high diesel prices. Average price was $6.31 a gallon in Montana last week.
“Diesel prices hurt us, of course,” Perkins said. “It’s not that we’re so tight we can’t handle it.”
If diesel purchases go over the budget, Impact Aid funds are utilized.
“We have a cushion if we have to,” Perkins said.
