Each day the Siloam Springs School District's school buses drive nearly 1,300 miles -- the distance from Siloam Springs to New York -- as they deliver students to and from school.
Transportation director Steve Avery shared facts about his department during the Jan. 14 school board meeting as part of a series of monthly departmental reports. He also told school board members that the transportation department received an excellent report from state inspectors with no minor or major findings.
The school's 31 route buses and three special needs buses transport up to 1,300 students in the morning and 1,700 students in the afternoon inside the 152-square-mile boundaries of the district, according to Avery. The district also drives a total of 434 miles transporting individual students to day treatment programs and special classes each day.
In addition to the regular route buses, the district has eight spare route buses, one spare special needs bus, one mini bus and one activity bus for a total fleet of 45 buses, Avery said.
The transportation department purchases about 45,000 gallons of bus fuel each year. Fuel prices have fallen from an average of $3.17 during the 2013-2014 school year to $1.82 in 2015, Avery said.
The transportation department used the fuel savings to purchase a new tire machine. The new machine is much more efficient, Avery said. It once took mechanics 20 to 24 minutes to change a tire. Now they can change the tires in under one minute and thirty seconds. The transportation department has 276 tires on the ground at any given time, Avery said.
The school mechanics complete 20 to 25 work orders a week. They save between $100 to $575 per bus by changing the oil in house rather than sending the bus to a dealership, Avery said. The department recently became a certified Thomas Warranty Dealer, enabling them to change parts and be reimbursed for parts and labor, he said.
The transportation department holds a school bus safety week each October and each bus does two evacuation drills each year, Avery said.
To accomplish all these things, the department has 52 employees, including 37 bus drivers, two mechanics, two substitute drivers, two individual transport drivers, four bus monitors and five crossing guards.
Board member Chuck Hyde said he has been impressed with the school's transportation department ever since he began serving on the board.
"Thanks for keeping all the kids safe," said Brian Lamb, board president. "We appreciate what you do."
In other business at the Jan. 14 meeting, the school board took the following actions:
• Voted to renew superintendent Ken Ramey's contract for another year.
• Approved a revision of the joint-use agreement for the Southside Elementary gym with the city of Siloam Springs for Itty Bitty Basketball.
• Approved an agreement with Bright Futures.
• Approved three student transfers from the Siloam Springs School District to the Gentry School District.
• Approved three student transfers from the Siloam Springs School District to the Gravette School District.
• Accepted the resignation of Kaitlyn Scrapper, Middle School speech language therapist.
• Hired Sarah Jones as School Based Health Center Coordinator.
General News on 02/03/2016