Bartholomew Consolidated School Corp. is set to add seven buses to its fleet after school board members gave permission to administrators to follow-through with the purchase on Monday night.
The purchase for $1.1 million was approved 6-0, with Board President Nikki Wheeldon, District 7, abstaining because she is a Cummins employee and BCSC sought input from the company.
BCSC is buying three general education buses for $191,766 each, two Type A C2 buses for $146,493 each, along with two Type A Endura buses at $126,729 each from Kerlin Bus Sales and Leasing.
Brett Boezeman, assistant superintendent for finance and operations, said the purchases follow the district’s bus replacement plan, adding that BCSC has a goal of having no buses older than 12 years old.
The latter two types are activity buses, 14-passenger buses used for things like transporting athletic teams and students between counties, Boezeman told board members.
Vendors placed bids through the Wilson Education Center and Indiana Association of Educational Services Center Procurement, according to BCSC.
The specifications for the buses were put together with input from BCSC drivers and technicians, along with recommendations from Cummins. Inc, according to a memo that AJ McKeand, transportation director, sent to the school board and administrators.
Bus purchases typically happen annually in February in order for BCSC to receive them before the start of the school year, according to district officials.
