District 214 uses grant for new wheelchair-accessible buses
Northwest Suburban High School District 214 approved buying new activity buses to transport students with some help from a federal grant.
The school board on Thursday approved the purchase of five multifunction school activity buses and two wheelchair-accessible multifunction school activity buses.
The five regular buses will cost the district $228,035, but after a $57,500 trade-in on five 2005 buses, the district will pay $170,535.
The money for these buses was worked into the 2013-14 transportation budget, said Superintendent David Schuler.
The buses will be used to transport students to co-curricular activities, field trips and work sites.
Each of the two accessible buses purchased can transport three students in wheelchairs.
“The need for district transportation of special education wheelchair-bound students is increasing,” board documents stated.
A federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act grant will pay for the full cost of the wheelchair-accessible buses, Schuler said.
The cost for the wheelchair buses being purchased from Kankakee-based Midwest Transit Equipment Inc. is $104,400, but with the trade-in of one bus it will be $90,600.
“The price tag kind of gets you, but I'm happy it's through grant funding,” said board member Alva Kreutzer.
The buses will be delivered in January 2014.