The Alabama State Superintendent of Education is issuing a warning about the high cost of school buses.
The State Superintendent of Education is warning Alabamians to be aware of school bus funding issues.
Dr. Eric Mackey says the cost of school buses have been going up for three to four years now due to increased material costs. And now with companies adding surcharges due to tariffs, the buses are becoming even more expensive.
“This has been an ongoing issue,†Mackey said. “We consider maybe inflation to be at the 2-3% level but with school buses we’re seeing much more dramatic increases.â€
Mackey says almost a decade ago buses were roughly $85,000 - $95,000. Now, they're more than $150,000.
“We’re going to have to take a really good hard look at school buses,†Mackey said. “This is one of those costs that we unfortunately just can’t control and it's growing at a much faster pace than general inflation.â€
The state's current fleet renewal funding, put in place 20 years ago, renews school buses every 10 years. But with prices of buses continuing to rise, the funding may no longer cover the full cost of the buses.
“To keep having new buses on the road, we’re going to have to pay more and more for them because prices are just going up,†Mackey said.
Mackey says they did ask the Department of Education for additional funding from the Supplemental Budget, but it was cut from the legislative process.
“Next year and the years to come, we’re going to need some significant influx of funds in the transportation line item or we’re going to get way behind and we are going to have a crisis point five years from now,†Mackey said.
Mackey says he will be working with the state school board on the budget over the next seven months to present to legislators next winter.
