
Henry County Schools has approved their 2023 school bus purchase. The purchase represents the 3rd out of 5 annual purchases in E-SPLOST VI.
E-SPLOST VI includes purchasing 125 new school buses. The program spans collections from 2023–2027. Voters approved it in 2021.
2023 School Bus Purchase
The 2023 school bus purchase includes 33 new buses. The E-SPLOST program will pay for 25 buses. State grant funds will cover the remaining eight. Altogether, the purchase price equates to $4.7 million. The local cost responsibility is $2.7 million.
The new buses all have air conditioning. Twenty-three of the buses will be 72-passenger buses. The remaining 10 buses will be 48-passenger buses. These buses are equipped with a wheelchair lift. Finally, the buses will be a mix of propane and gasoline engines. The district began implementing propane-powered buses into their fleet in 2019.
The district should receive the buses by next May. This would allow the district to assign them into the fleet before the 2024–2025 school year.
The district has two annual purchases remaining. The board considers the annual purchases each November. After 2025, this will coincide with the voters’ opportunity to consider the next education SPLOST program. The E-SPLOST VI referendum would be in 2026.
New Bus Facility
Also happening, Henry County Schools is building a new bus maintenance facility. The new facility will be located off Nail Drive in McDonough. The district held a groundbreaking event in September.
When complete in 2025, the new garage will be able to support 218 buses and 150 drivers. This will compliment the district’s existing garage in downtown McDonough.
Featured image shows a group of school buses. Henry County Schools photo.
Be the first to comment