The SCEA supports SC Department of Education initiatives to overhaul aging fleet of school busses
January 9, 2017
Bernadette R. Hampton, President of The South Carolina Education Association, was pleased to attend a press conference at the State House where Superintendent of Education Molly Spearman addressed ongoing concerns with South Carolina’s aging state owned school bus fleet and outlined her plan to overhaul its current makeup to improve both safety and efficiency.
To address these ongoing concerns, Superintendent Spearman has asked the General Assembly to fund the replacement of over 1,000 of the problematic 20 plus year old buses. She has also worked alongside State Treasurer Curtis Loftis and the General Assembly to put into place the first ever lease to purchase program for school buses which she is advocating to continue to utilize moving forward.
“Features on our school busses that will enhance students learning are air conditioning and WiFi,” said The SCEA President Bernadette R. Hampton. “As students make their transition from home to school and school to home learning may continue. We are especially pleased with air conditioning which will improve the air quality and the school bus ride in our environment here in South Carolina.”
“As State Superintendent my top priority has and will always be the safety of our students. That starts each morning when the bus arrives and ends when the bus drops students off,” said Spearman. “We can no longer wait to address the needs of our state’s student transportation system. I am committed to working tirelessly with our state’s leaders to ensure students have safe and reliable transportation for years to come.”
According to a SC Department of Education statement: For many years our bus fleet has been noted as being one of the oldest in the nation. Currently 50 percent of the fleet, or 2805 buses, are over 15 years old. The manufacture dates of the buses range almost thirty years, from 1988 to 2016.
In addition to funding for the replacement of the aging fleet, Spearman is also asking the General Assembly to fund baseline salary increases for bus drivers and bus shop technicians who are difficult to recruit and retain and are often paid lower salaries than their counterparts at other agencies.
