OCALA, Fla. (WCJB) – The Marion County School District could soon spend nearly $4 million on 22 new school buses, but students may not ride them for another year.
District proposal
The district wants to purchase 22 new school buses using money from its capital projects fund. That includes 13 standard buses, eight with wheelchair lifts, and one smaller bus also equipped with a lift.
District officials say they typically operate about 250 buses a day while keeping additional buses available when others break down. The goal is to replace older vehicles before maintenance issues become a bigger problem.
“We are generally trying to replace buses on a 10-year time frame, which is about twice the length of what you and I would typically do with our own vehicle. We get lots and lots of mileage out of our buses, and they travel thousands of miles every day in Marion County. So it’s important that we not only have reliable buses, but buses that are safe for our students to ride in,” said Kevin Christian, Marion County Public Schools…