Board of Education Approves Funding for Activity Buses

Many of the district’s activity buses are more than 20 years old

Contact: Laurie Hogan (336) 370-8307
Created: 6/25/2009 11:48:06 PM

The Guilford County Board of Education approved reserving a $366,115 general fund balance at the end of the current fiscal year for the purchase of replacement activity buses.

North Carolina’s school bus replacement schedule sets the standard at 20 years old or 200,000 miles. Guilford County Schools (GCS) currently operates 86 activity buses. The average age of these buses is 16 years old, with 26 buses being older than 20. An additional 47 buses fall into the range of 10 to 19 years old.

According to Jeff Harris, director of transportation, GCS activity buses transported students on more than 7,700 field trips and athletic events during the 2008-09 school year. “These funds are important to the district’s efforts to provide safe and efficient transportation for off-campus learning and extracurricular opportunities,” Harris said.

In 2005, the board approved an increase of 25 cents to the activity bus mileage fee to use for the replacement of buses. Prior to approval Thursday, no action had been taken to reserve funds for that purpose and the fee became a part of the district’s undesignated fund balance at the end of each fiscal year. The 25-cent fee is part of the overall per mile fee charged for using an activity bus. The current rate is $1.3371.

The funds reserved by the district are currently enough for the purchase of about four buses. The estimated cost of a new activity bus is about $84,000.

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About Guilford County Schools

Guilford County Schools is the third largest school district in North Carolina serving more than 71,000 students at 120 schools. With approximately 10,000 employees, the district’s mission is to graduate responsible citizens prepared to succeed in higher education or the career of their choice. 

Guilford County Schools is a national leader in providing specialized schools and instructional programs designed to meet the educational needs of a culturally diverse citizenship.  For more information, visit the district’s Web site at www.gcsnc.com.