District may invest $1M annually toward new buses
South Carolina’s Horry County Schools is considering making the investment each year until 2019 under a proposal set forth by the district’s chief officer for support services. The proposal was made to get the buses in the fleet under 15 years old to reduce breakdowns and repairs. No final decisions will be made until the district learns whether it will receive additional funding from the state.
CONWAY, S.C. — Horry County Schools’ board is considering investing nearly $1 million annually until 2019 to get the district’s fleet under 15 years old, WBTW reports.
Currently, of the 46 district-owned buses that transport students to and from schools, 35 are 20 years old or older. Rick Maxey, chief officer for support services, proposed that the board consider investing nearly $1 million annually for new buses. He also suggested that the board consider setting a standard age limit for the school buses, 15 years, in order to “reduce the number of times that we have breakdowns with buses and repairs,” he told WBTW.
Board members had a preliminary discussion about the proposal during a recent meeting, but no final decisions will be made until the district knows how much additional state funding it will receive, if any. Horry County Board of Education Chairman Joe Defeo said that the board will make a final vote on the budget in June.
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