BSB looks at bus issue

BLEVINS – July’s meeting of the Blevins School Board, Monday night, focused around the need for more school buses.

Among the issues addressed over the course of the evening, one issue in particular has been a common thread through the last several meetings: new school busses. Over the last few months, the board has been weighing its options, considering whether it wanted to lease new busses, buy used, or buy new. It seemed as though the board was leaning towards the leasing option, but requested further information be gathered before a decision was reached. At this meeting, it was revealed that the initially very low estimates of the cost of leasing were significantly higher once put on paper. As it would turn out, the difference between leasing and buying new was a difference of only about $12,000, as opposed to the roughly $40,000 difference it’d been looking at before. The board also took issue with the fact that if it leased the busses, it would not have the equity that buying even a used bus would give them. Now less enthusiastic about the leasing option, the school board deliberated on how to proceed. As it stands, it only have the means to replace one bus currently. With more definite options now in hand, they are looking to see if they can begin enacting a long-term plan for regularly replacing old busses. This being the case, the board decided again to put off the final decision on the purchase, hoping to have a solid, long-term course of action in mind before voting on it.

Another point of interest arose during the Superintendent’s Report. Superintendent Stephane Dixon brought up several grants she is currently considering, including one that provided for a start-up healthcare clinic. Several board members voiced their concerns at the lack of walk-in clinics in the area, hypothesizing that the lack could be responsible for a number of absences and illnesses that could have easily been avoided otherwise. There was a good amount of positive interest in this grant proposal.

Also as a part of the Superintendent’s Report, Dixon inquired about the school’s greenhouse and how it was being used. Operating the greenhouse, especially supplying its water demands, was costing the district over time, and Dixon wanted to know if the cost was worth while. It was reported that the greenhouse was in fact a very decent facility, and had rather recently undergone some repairs. Reportedly, the greenhouse is being used some, but could be used for much more. Board members took turns expressing ideas and excitement for how to give students opportunities to grow and study in the greenhouse. It was mentioned that there is already an active program centered around instructing students in agriculture, and it is popular. The program is even receiving Federal CTE (Career & Technical Education) funding, as agriculture is a local industry. There was also mention of the possibility of coordinating with UAHT, or other greenhouses in the area. Finally, the board expressed hope that giving students an opportunity for responsibility would encourage attendance.

Other notes from the evening include a resounding success to the end of the 17-18 school fiscal year, concern over higher-level reading comprehension scores, an interest in renovating the school floors to make them more sustainable and cost-efficient, concern over low concession profits, and action being taken to replace the jerseys of both the high school guys and girls basketball teams. For a full account of the meeting’s minutes, they can found on the Blevins School District’s web page.