Glen Lake Board of Education is asking for the community to come together and share feedback on the recent November 2023 Bond Proposal.
“We are listening so that our district can move forward with the right plan for our community. Food will be provided at the event. Please join us to share your input and have the opportunity to tour our facilities,” Glen Lake Board of Education said in a statement last week.
The listening sessions materialized after the board’s $35 million proposal to improve facilities and new construction failed in November by a vote of 1,119 to 963.
Glen Lake will host two community listening sessions; yesterday, and Tuesday, January 16 at 6 p.m. to discuss improvements needed for the Lakers ever aging infrastructure.
Glen Lake is eying another bond attempt in Spring or Fall 2024.
The board is evaluating its ever growing cost of replacing school buses that has potential to hit the budget hard over the next couple of years.
Glen Lake finance director Ben Papes discussed the purchases at the regular board meeting on Monday.
“Two years ago you’d get a bus for $90,000 and now they are (roughly) $139,000,” Papes said.
Glen Lake did approve the purchase of one 2025, 77-passenger bus with a seven year transmission warranty, and a five year 100,000 mile engine warranty.
The Lakers did not have enough to cover the rising cost even with $125,000 left over from a previous bus bond.
“Going forward we’re going to have a plan,” Papes said.
The Lakers have a fleet of 14 buses with 10 in constant operation, and four waiting in the wings.
A typical school bus lasts roughly seven years depending on several factors, according to the board.
Ideally, Glen Lake would like to replace two school buses per year to keep its fleet running smoothly.
Glen Lake will have to shell out dollars from its capital improvement fund or general fund with thoughts of exploring other financing options in the future.
Most school buses average 16,000 to 20,000 miles a year, but Glen Lake’s special lift bus has racked up nearly 161,000 miles since 2018. Special lift buses cost at least $20,000 more than a conventional bus. “We also have to make sure we have a backup lift bus because if that lift goes down, we are not compliant,” Glen Lake superintendent Jason Misner said. “It’s important that we also pay attention to make sure that bus is going to be on that schedule sooner than others ... You have to have a common sense strategy to replace. I can tell you that in a different district, it doesn’t run as many miles as we do.”
