The Purple Bus has broken down, but a replacement is on its way after the SMCISD board of trustees voted to purchase a new bus for the district’s Meals on Wheels program.
Assistant Superintendent for Business and Support Services Karen Griffith explained the Purple Bus meal program and the need for a new vehicle for it.
“We took an old bus that was over 20 years old and we refurbished the bus to take meals to students,” she said. “The bus at this time is broken down. … Our district mechanic is telling us it’s reaching the point where it can no longer be repaired, and we need to do something to replace this vehicle.”
Because of federal restrictions on how school districts can spend foodservice funds, Child Nutrition Services can’t pay for a new bus on its own. The district’s general fund will pay for the new vehicle, and foodservice funds will be used for renovations and modifications.
The board had three options to choose from if the trustees decided to purchase a new bus. The first would take $107,435 from the general fund for the bus purchase and vinyl wrap and $97,650 from the food service fund for modifications; the second would take $87,022 from the general fund for the bus and vinyl wrap and $115,446 from food service for modifications; and the third would take $97,000 from the general fund for the bus and vinyl wrap and $133,446 from food service for modifications. In the end, the board approved the second and least expensive option.
Mike Boone, director of Child Nutrition Services, went over the importance of the Meals on Wheels program and the different communities it serves. The Purple Bus makes stops during the summer in the Morning Wood neighborhood, Regency Mobile Home Park, Riverview Apartments and the Cuauhtemoc Hall parking lot. Boone noted the remoteness of Morning Wood and Regency in particular and that the locations of those areas can prevent some children from getting access to a healthy meal during the summer.
“If we’re not going out there with the bus, they’re not eating,” he said.
According to information in the school board agenda packet, the Purple Bus served 1,940 meals in 49 serving days in the summer of 2017 and another 1,762 meals in 44 serving days last summer. Data from the Child Nutrition Services department states that the bus was broken down for 50 percent of the summer of 2017 and for 80 percent of the summer last year. The bus is having issues with the generator used to power warming and cooling equipment for the food, its air conditioner, wheel bearings and other parts that are in bad condition.
Once the bus is purchased, the interior will be outfitted to accommodate food storage and warming and cooling equipment and seating for 55 to 60 students. (One of the federal stipulations for programs like the Purple Bus is that food must be consumed on site.)
Trustee John McGlothlin had high praise for the Purple Bus program, noting its value to the community, but said he wished that the district had tried to get grants or other funding to help offset the cost.
“I’m uncomfortable authorizing $100,000 without exploring opportunities for us not to bear that cost,” he said.
Moreover, Boone had said that if the purchase was approved Tuesday night he hoped the bus would be ready to serve the children on June 1, and McGlothlin said he was uncomfortable with that kind of pressure.
“It’s a program I really like, so I hate picking on this item,” McGlothlin noted.
Trustee Anne Halsey said she would like to see some kind of learning opportunities incorporated into the Purple Bus program. Griffith said the transportation department had already recommended putting wifi on the new bus to facilitate reading programs and other activities.
