New School Buses Prepped

SEBRING - School District Transportation Director David Solomon plans to pamper the nine new school buses being readied to go into service in August because with a statewide education budget crisis he's slated to only get three new ones next year.

The 77-passenger school buses, costing about $99,000 a piece, were purchased within the 2007-08 budget.

Normally, the school district purchases nine or 10 new buses every year, Mike Averyt, assistant superintendent of business operations, said Tuesday.

"We are not going out buying buses with money we don't have," Solomon said, referring to the district's current cost cutting measures in developing the 2008-09 budget.

"This was already preplanned and scheduled years in advance," he added.

In about two-weeks, the buses will undergo two complete inspections. Also, two-way radios, video recording systems and accessory lighting will be installed.

Factory-equipped with air conditioning, the new buses continue the A/C phase in process that started with 10 buses in 2004. Now about 60 percent, of the 100 buses in the fleet, are air-conditioned.

In a cost-cutting measure, six bus monitor positions are being eliminated from the transportation department, reducing the number to 26. Most of the monitors are assigned to assist on the exceptional student education routes.

Solomon said substitute monitors will cover the six routes on a daily basis.

Also, one office position was cut for a total of seven jobs cut from the transportation department, he said.