OISD pays premium to get new school bus for 2022-23

The Olney school board agreed to pay $3,500 over asking price for a new school bus to ensure the school receives the vehicle as soon as it rolls off the assembly line, school superintendent Dr. Greg Roach said.

The Olney Independent School District purchased the bus in September 2021, but it may not arrive in time for the 2022-23 school year because the manufacturer cannot get parts to finish it, Dr. Roach said.

The school bus dealer informed the district that the price of the bus had risen by $3,500. “That is the only way you can guarantee that you can get the bus,” Dr. Roach said. “It was the manufacturer that did it to the bus seller. They just contacted us and said, ‘We can’t guarantee that you will get a bus if you don’t pay it.’”

Although the school board agreed to pay the premium, “it may still be months,” Dr. Roach said.

School board manufacturer Blue Bird Corporation reported December 2021 that it had a backlog of more than 4,200 vehicles because of shortages of parts such as semiconductors, and COVID outbreaks among its employees. The company told investors that demand for buses had rebounded strongly after COVID shutdowns.

The Olney school district is trying to replace a bus that is “at the end of life” but “we keep it running,” Dr. Roach said. “Fortunately, I just need one. We will auction this off when we get the new one.”

The district also managed to hire “just enough bus drivers for the school year” despite earlier problems finding qualified candidates, he said.

School districts across the county have reported difficulty finding bus drivers for several years before the COVID pandemic—mainly because of low wages and poor benefits, as well as difficulties in obtaining a commercial driver’s license, according to a study by the National Association for Pupil Transportation.

In January, the U.S. Departments of Transportation and Education said states could waive the portion of the commercial driver’s license skills test that requires school bus driver applicants to identify “under the hood” engine components. The waiver, which expired in March, was meant to alleviate some of the labor shortages schools are facing, the departments said in a joint statement.

The OISD school trustees voted last month to hike school bus drivers’ wages by 6 percent to attract new drivers and retain the ones the district has, Dr. Roach said.