Wylie ISD school board agrees to purchase new teacher-student tech and discuss bus options

The next steps have been made by Wylie ISD in upgrading their school district after their 2023 bond passed this past election day.

On Monday, Nov. 13, the Wylie ISD school board and administration gathered for their annual meeting. On the agenda were two items passed by voters: news buses and new technology.

New bus options and estimated cost

Superintendent Joey Light presented numerous bus options and estimates to the board. He investigated pricing for four bus types commonly manufactured.

Type A buses are considered small capacity buses which typically average anywhere from 10-16 passengers. Type C buses are the standard yellow bus used for school routes. Type D buses are similar to the standard yellow bus but have a flat front with a rear engine. Charter buses are unlike any regular school bus, and they cost more due to their more luxury feel.

Due to inflation and difficulty obtaining building materials, costs for buses have increased since the district’s last purchase, Light said. A standard Type C yellow bus now is estimated to cost $150,000 each.

The district has set aside $9 million for the replacement and purchasing of new buses and other transportation needs. Light suggested setting aside $1.2 million a year for the purchasing of six to eight new yellow buses for routes. With the purchase of buses to the fleet, it grants the district the ability to retire old ones over the course of several years.

“The most we have to buy, obviously, are the yellow ones, not activity buses to take on trips. We do need those, but they are not going to be the majority we purchase,” Light said.

Through discussion, pros and cons were presented for each bus type. One person stated Type A buses did not have enough passenger capacity to be worth buying. Light mentioned the Type D flat front buses have proven more difficult to drive and have more engine issues than conventional buses, however it contains more space for storage. Charter buses, though more comfortable for driving long distances due to contoured seating, have limited passenger capacity, cost more and follows different safety standards compared to school buses.

In 2021, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law established the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Clean School Bus Program to provide funding to schools who want to replace existing school buses with zero-emission and low-emission models.

According to an article by Gregory Poole Equipment Company, in 2023 fuel is one of the top expenses schools budget for yearly. Although the majority of manufactured buses in 2022 were gasoline and diesel powered, companies have been taking steps toward more environmentally friendly options like propane, electric, compressed natural gas (CNG) and hybrid buses.

School board members unanimously decided to postpone their decision until the December meeting.

Vice President Brad Hill stated he was not comfortable deciding on which buses to purchase at that time because he felt there was not enough information to make a well-rounded decision.

President Miller Loudermilk said bond voters should have a say in the decision about what buses the district should purchase because some may or may not have envisioned the purchase of charter or activity buses when they voted.

“We are not in a situation where decisions need to be made right now,” Light said.

Teacher and student devices

The school board approved to order teacher and student devices following the passage of the bond.

Wylie ISD Superintendent Light hopes that they will be able to develop a better picture of the technology needs and electrical changes that need to happen for better access for teachers and students. Technology Specialist Jonathan McKnight presented some options to the board.

“I think the option that would give more availability to teachers as possible is the 3,200 Chromebook and 200 cart solution,” Light stated.

With this presented option, a charging cart would be placed in each classroom with an estimated 22-30 Chromebooks depending on class size. Steps will need to be taken to ensure each classroom has the space for carts and the electrical capacity to withhold the demand from devices.

The campuses will still utilize available computer labs for heavy CPU usage programs like Adobe. Chromebooks cannot withstand the capacity for programs compared to Windows desktops.

Light said there may be problems with Chromebooks as the suggested plan is not “100% foolproof,” but “learning takes places in this process” and once the ball gets rolling, things will fall into place.

According to the Wylie ISD bond propositions website, the district does not currently have a one-to-one device to student ratio. The COVID-19 pandemic presented the need to have remote access for student learning in and out of the classroom as well as for state standardized assessments and testing.

With the approval from the board, next steps can be taken to ensure learning is happening for every student in the district.

This article originally appeared on Abilene Reporter-News: Abilene school district agree to purchase new tech and research buses