Sept. 21, 2010
BKW residents have approved a revised proposal to purchase four school buses by a vote of 223 -114. A total of 337 votes were cast.
The district will now purchase two 65-passenger buses and two 28-passenger buses at a cost of $305,000, to replace older buses that are growing more costly to maintain due to higher mileage and wear-and-tear. The approved bus purchase will come at no additional cost to local taxpayers in 2010-11 and present little to no tax increase over the next five years.
“I would like to thank district residents for taking the time to vote on such an important part of our school’s daily operations,” said Superintendent Dr. Paul Dorward. “I’m certainly glad and thankful voters approved this proposal. This allows us to continue our strategy of purchasing buses each school year in smaller numbers to keep the impact on our school budget as low as possible.”
Under the approved bus purchase plan, the district will cover the cost of the buses by borrowing $200,000 and taking $105,000 from its transportation reserve fund. The $200,000 will be paid back over the next five years. State aid payments to the district on the bus purchase will fully cover the bond payments, meaning the bus purchase will carry no cost to district taxpayers in 2010-11, and have little to no impact on taxes over the next five years.
District officials decided to craft a second bus proposition to put before voters after residents narrowly rejected a previous proposal on May 18 by a vote of 513-556.
“I’m happy the community supported this proposal,” said Maureen Sikule, president of the BKW Board of Education. “We felt it was important for us to listen and give a little by putting a revised proposal with a lower cost before voters. I think the community heard us and realized the need.”
Each school day, BKW buses cover a total of 126 square miles of Hilltown terrain transporting students to and from school, athletic events, field trips, and private and parochial schools. In fact, during the 2009-10 school year, BKW buses traveled 670,000 total miles, in all forms of weather. This speeds up the normal wear-and-tear process, and as a result, the bus garage spends significant time and money repairing bus parts corroded by road salt. These repairs become more frequent — and more costly — as buses age. To lessen the impact on the budget, BKW elects to gradually replace older buses by putting bus proposition before voters each school year.
Bus proposition brochure
Read the informational brochure that went out to district residents the week of Sept. 13.
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