Chippewa Valley OKs $433,915 for New Wheels

The newest additions to Chippewa Valley's fleet of school buses will ring in at roughly $86,783 a piece.

The board of education approved a total of $433,915 Monday to purchase five 2013 Thomas Built Saf-T-Liner C2 school buses. Seating 77 passengers, the buses will be used to replace older model vehicles currently in service.

Traveling more than 1.3 million miles during the average school year, the wear and tear on Chippewa Valley's fleet is significant. In 2011, the district approved $2 million to purchase 23 Thomas Built buses as part of the district’s long-term plan to reduce its fleet by auctioning off older models and replacing them with vehicles that have larger seating capacities.

Buses are typically replaced every 10 to 12 years, depending on mileage and performance.

Funding for bus purchases comes from the 2010 Building and Site Fund, which has several million dollars set aside specifically for the purchase of school buses, Assistant Superintendent of Business and Operations Scott Sederlund told Patch in a previous interview.

All buses are purchased through the MSBO/MAPT Bus Purchase Program, which provides a significant discount on the overall cost.

During the course of the school year, Chippewa Valley transports around 10,500 students to and from 30 school buildings each day. This is more than 65 percent of the student population, according to Transportation Department estimates.