DANIEL TYLER GOODEN / L’Observateur / August 15, 2000

LUTCHER – The St. James Parish School Board hired George Horne to evaluatethe school’s transportation department, and his report was presented to the board last week.

One concern Horne had was the age of some of the buses.

“One-third exceed the industry standard age that should remain in active service,” said Horne. That does not mean the buses are unsafe, he added,but simply that they are becoming too old and expensive to maintain. Someof the buses date back to 1981.

The resale value on the buses may only be about $1,000, quite a bit less than what it may cost to repair mechanical problems. Horne suggested retiringthe buses to be used as emergency spares and buying newer diesel buses, which would cost around $30,000 or more.

Another concern was inspections made by the bus drivers themselves. Thestate requires two state certified mechanics’ inspections, as well as an inspection by the drivers every time the buses are used.

There were maintenance problems with the buses found by the mechanics during inspection that should have been caught by the drivers. Horne gavethe example of burnt out tail lights, faded stop signs and exhaust pipes extending too far past the bumper, which could result in burning students.

“Every bus had a deficiency; very few were reported by the drivers in the pre-inspection,” said Horne. This is something the district needs to address,he added.

Horne suggested preforming pop inspections to check for minor problems like broken lights, wipers and such. Many are doing the inspections properly,said Horne, but the school system should spend more time and effort with the entire inspection system.

More records and data need to be collected on the buses, routes and students riding. Actual arrival and departure time and how many kids areriding to and from school are some of the facts that should be recorded, said Horne. There is also flexibility in driver schedules that should be review.Horne suggested that by changing routes, some drivers would not need to be replaced after retirement but have their routes picked up by the other drivers. Horne suggested adjusting the times the schools open and close byjust a few minutes to help drivers overlap each other’s routes, thus getting the kids to school more efficiently. The students would be able to arrive anddepart closer to their schools opening and closing times, said Horne.

Also, Horne noted that some drivers did not drive their students both in the morning and the evening. Children make attachments to their teachers anddrivers at a young age, and it may be better the school system tries to keep the same drivers in the morning and evenings, said Horne.

Also at the meeting the board passed a resolution to recommend that Beaullieu and Associates secure quotes to repair the condenser water piping at Lutcher High School, the chiller at St. James Junior High and thecondensing unit at Sixth Ward Elementary. The chiller at St. James Junior hasbeen broken for four or five years.

In addition, a joint agreement between the school board and the St. JamesParish Council was passed in order to collect sales and use taxes for July 1, 2000 to June 30, 2001.

The board also voted to consider and take action with respect to adopting a resolution authorizing the advertising for sealed bids for the purchase of $6,000,000 of General Obligation School Bonds.

Superintendent Edward Cancienne supplied the board with information concerning the receiving of various technology grants for the coming school year. St. James Parish School System received $255,000 from the TLTCImplementation Award; $190,000 from the District/Consortium Professional Development Award. The technology coordinator, Tracy Zeringue, and NadineNelson were awarded a $90,000 High School Technology Leadership Award. A$46,000 DREAM grant was also received again this year. The parish will get$49,189 for this year’s Technology Improvement Grant, with confirmation expected after Sept. 5.

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