Dist. 300 adds buses, vans to fleet

To accommodate the transportation needs of students attending Hampshire High School in the fall and to replace part of an aging fleet, Community Unit District 300 officials Monday approved the purchase of 47 vehicles.

The district will buy 25 full-size buses, 10 special education buses and 12 vans.

"This is something we do every year but the number differs this year based on the opening of the new Hampshire High School and the larger transportation service that we will need," Superintendent Kenneth Arndt said.

The buses, purchased from Midwest Transit Equipment, will cost the district $2.6 million. The dozen vans from Landmark Ford will cost $200,940.

Bids also include the installation of radios and cameras on each bus.

Under a state program, the school would be reimbursed between 60 percent and 80 percent of the purchase.

While six full-size buses were purchased in 2007, the more than fourfold increase this year is due to a number of factors, officials said.

Those include the typical replacement of 10 buses, the additional site of Hampshire High School and serving students at Wright and Gilberts elementary schools, which opened earlier this year.

Last year, the district admitted it had difficulties getting kids to school and back home on time, especially west of Randall Road.

The smaller buses and vans will help cut down on the number of taxis the district uses to transport special-needs students, officials said.

The district was paying nearly $1 million a year to transport special education students before it privatized its transportation with Durham School Services.