This Agreement between the Clay County School Board and Matthews Bus Alliance is to purchase fifteen (15) ESE 47 Capacity Type C new school buses and seven (7) 77 Regular Type C  new school buses equipped with AC and camera equipment.

The transportation department has a five-year plan for bus purchases in the capital plan to replace buses reaching their service limits and to account for student growth. At this time CCDS has 232 buses operating and in service. Furthermore, as the ESE student population continues to rise so does the need for ESE transportation/buses.

The Transportation Department has a replacement plan for buses via the capital plan for the District to operate safely and efficiently.

The purchase of 22 School Buses will provide CCDS:

• Fifteen (15) new ESE buses equipped with AC and camera surveillance at a cost $2,318,925.00 and seven (7) new regular buses equipped with AC and camera surveillance at a cost $1,126,426.00.

• Bumper-to-Bumper 5-year warranty drastically reduces parts and maintenance costs associated with aging fleets (est. value $400,000.00).  Matthews Bus Alliance will provide a full-time on-site service representative at our Middleburg bus shop/depot to support the CCDS mechanic shop.

• The district retains the titles for the buses.

• Capital dollars will be recaptured by removing/selling school buses from our fleet that have reached their service limits. At this time our department will remove/sell ten (10) school buses from our fleet. The estimated return is roughly $5,000 per bus. These funds can be used immediately for capital expenditures.

Ensure fiscal responsibility through the effective management of district operations to maximize available resources necessary to provide an environment that is safe, efficient, and conducive to learning.

Approve the Purchase Agreement.