On May 16, in addition to voting on a proposed $34.7 million spending plan for the 2017-18 school year, Broadalbin-Perth residents will also vote on a proposition to purchase four school buses at a maximum total cost of $474,612. If residents approve the proposition, state aid would pay for approximately 75.2 percent of the total cost. There is no tax increase associated with the proposition.
According to Assistant Superintendent Marco Zumbolo, Broadalbin-Perth follows a carefully planned bus replacement schedule to minimize costs to taxpayers — both on the purchase of the new vehicles and on maintenance. In general, as the debt associated with one bus bond is paid off, a new bus bond is added (pending voter approval). Because of this, the district’s costs remain relatively stable from year to year.
“As long as voters continue to pass the annual bus proposition, we will be able to continue to maintain our bus fleet at no additional cost to taxpayers,” Zumbolo said.
Zumbolo explained that purchasing new vehicles is more cost-effective than maintaining older vehicles. By the time an old bus is retired from Broadalbin-Perth’s fleet, it will have accumulated more than 150,000 miles. Zumbolo estimates that these high-mileage buses cost B-P at least twice as much to maintain as new buses.
That’s because the New York State Department of Transportation regulates school buses much more strictly than it does passenger vehicles, such as a family’s car. For instance, while a family’s car must pass a New York state inspection once a year, school buses must pass more rigorous inspections twice a year. If a school bus fails one of these inspections, it must be taken off the road immediately and cannot be put back into service until it meets the state’s standards.
Polls will be open 6 a.m. to 8 p.m., Tuesday, May 16, at the middle school and high school gymnasiums. For more information, visit the voting information page on the district website, or call the district office at 954-2500, option 5.