The Peoria Public Schools board has approved buying 13 used diesel school buses for $1.2 million.
That's a reduction from the $3 million originally requested last month to phase out older vehicles ahead of the 2025-26 school year.
District transportation director Josh Collins told the board Monday the district currently has 17 spare buses, and anywhere from 10-15 buses are out of rotation on a daily basis for various mechanical issues or inspection needs. Two spares will be removed from service next year per the terms of two different U.S. EPA clean school bus grants.
The district currently runs 82 routes, but an additional eight are coming online next school year when the two former Quest Charter Academy schools are reopened under Peoria Public Schools management.
"We really need those vehicles in order to make sure that we can continue to maintain services at the level that we've been providing to our students. As you can see, otherwise, we're going to be six to 14 vehicles down on any given day," Collins said.
Collins said the district is currently fully staffed on bus drivers.
Money transferred from district savings will be used for the purchase, making up for a shortfall in the transportation fund. District chief financial officer Mick Willis blamed that deficit on state under funding for school transportation.
There are no immediate plans to repay those dollars into the working cash fund later. Willis suggested leaving the terminology "permanent transfer" in the language the board ultimately approved Monday night.
"If the transportation fund became financially well off enough to repay, if you have the word permanent in the language the transportation fund could still give money back to the working cash fund," Willis said.
Board president Paris McConnell wanted to keep the option available if the district did find the money to put the money back.
"It would be the board's discretion to say, we need to replenish back in saving, what we took out for busses, and I think that's the big issue for most of us, is we just want to be wise about it, and we take taking money out of savings serious, because what money we do have is not a lot of money for a district this size," she said.
After the $1.2 million transfer, Willis said the district will still have around $26.25 million in its working cash fund.
