A new bus may be in the community school district’s future. Transportation Director Dave Benner rolled out his budget for the next fiscal year which includes purchasing a new school bus. The proposed $440,914 transportation budget represents a 3.6 percent or $15,371.03 increase. Benner and other school officials presented budgets for fiscal year 2017 budgets for transportation, special services, technology and food services during the Feb. 10 Boothbay-Boothbay Harbor Community School District School Committee meeting.

Benner proposed increasing the bus purchase or lease line item by $16,500. Benner expects a new bus to cost approximately $80,000 over a five-year period. The new bus would be added to the 10 currently in the fleet. Benner also advised the committee to formulate a bus replacement plan. He advised replacing a bus every two years.

“My concern is we are one bus away from being in the predicament of two years ago so I’m recommending this type of replacement schedule,” Benner said.

Benner advised paying off the bus loan over a five year period. The CSD would pay between $17,000 to  $18,000 per year.  Superintendent of Schools Eileen King thought the bank loan could be paid in less than five years.

“The banks give us good rates, but the plan is to pay off the loan early when additional funds become available,” King said.

Benner supports replacing buses every 10 years because older buses are more expensive to operate.

“Around the state, most transportation directors support replacing their buses every 10 years. They believe purchasing a new bus is less expensive in the long run than maintaining older ones,” he said.

The committee also heard the first reading of the elementary and high school special services, technology, and food services budgets.

Both the elementary and high school special services budgets showed an increase. The proposed BRES special services budget is $915,230.70, which is a $5,280.70 increase. The proposed BRHS technology budget is is $555,910.44, which is a $31,751 increase. There are no additional staff in the proposed special services departments, according to school officials. 

The proposed technology budget is down by approximately 16 percent. The proposed budget is $125,028.51, which is a $19,907.49 decrease.

The proposed $90,000 food service budget is the same as the current year’s.

In other action, BRHS Principal Dan Welch announced that Gretchen Elder is the 2016 valedictorian and Hannah Morley is the salutatorian.