It’s not if, but when, School District #18 will have a new route bus.
The answer doesn’t rest with school administration or the school board, it is in the hands of the bus company.
Meeting Wednesday night, five members of the school board (Todd Heithoff was absent) approved the purchase of a new route bus.
They approved the purchase of a 2027 Blue Bird 59-passenger bus. To save tax dollars, the board decided that the new bus would not have air conditioning.
New buses aren’t cheap. The school district will spend $134,000 for the new rig.
When it arrives, approximately 90 days from now, it will replace a 2007 route bus which is no longer in commission because the cost of repairs would exceed the value of the bus. That bus will be put up for sale via Purple Wave at a cost to the school district of just $100.
There will be two new members to the teaching staff at EPS. During the latter stages of the meeting, the board unanimously approved teaching contracts for Vijendra Boken (math) and Miranda Rockwood (kindergarten).
In other action:
Executive session — The board spent just over an hour in executive (closed) session to discuss employee classified agreements. No action was taken during closed session.
Back in open session, the board approved classified salaries recommendations and tabling activity bus wages. The vote was 4-0 (Eric Beckman abstained).
Presentation — High school students’ Gemma Miller, Kyla Donaldson and Zoey Buechter reported to the board about their experience attending Capital City Forum where they discussed global issues and had an opportunity to interact with Third District Congressman Adrian Smith.
“I really appreciated being able to go,” Donaldson told the board.
No need to worry — All 13 seniors were approved for graduation, having met all the necessary criteria. Graduation will be held Saturday afternoon, May 9 at 4 p.m.
Requisitions — As expected, the board approved teacher requisitions for the coming school year. Total cost will be $124,355.62.
Cameras — Due to their age and the inability to get updates and parts, 19 security cameras will be replaced this summer at a cost of just over $16,600.
