May 8, 2025
On Tuesday, May 20, voters will decide on a school bus purchasing proposition at a total cost not to exceed $700,000. The state will reimburse the district up to 61 percent of the cost of the new vehicles.
The proposal includes the purchase of a total of five diesel buses:
- Two 66-passenger buses
- Two 30-passenger buses
- One 21-passenger wheelchair bus
The proposed new bus purchases would replace five of the district’s current buses, each of which have an average of 10 years of service and 100,000 miles.
The ideal replacement cycle for district buses is 10 years, when it is no longer cost effective to make the repairs needed to meet state inspection standards. Maintaining an aging school bus presents potential safety, maintenance and financial issues for the school district. After 10 to 12 years of service, bus maintenance costs increase by 10 to 20 percent and trade-in values decrease exponentially.
The district is required by the state to have enough buses to transport every student in the district in the event of an emergency, regardless of the number of students who walk or receive parent/guardian transportation to school. New Hartford buses transport approximately 2,500 students daily to 12 public, private and parochial schools, and travel 450,000 miles annually.
Learn more about the vote on May 20 and what else is on the ballot by visiting the district’s Budget & Finance webpage.