ARISE Academy charter school will soon be the proud new owner of its own fleet of buses, a service most charter organizations contract out.
School leader Andrew Shahan said the decision made sense financially but he was most excited about extending consistency and school culture to students’ daily commute.
“We want stable forces in their lives,” Shahan said during a May 15 board meeting.
Shahan expects used buses to cost between $15,000 and $25,000 each, the projections also account for maintenance and the salaries of bus drivers.
“Twenty years later, we’re saving $1.8 million,” said member Elaine Reyes.
Member Candice Frazier asked if the buses could also be used as a source of revenue.
Director of Finance Tanya Lewis said they may be able to run field trips during the day for other schools, as long as the buses were available for before and after school transportation. The members approved a motion to allow staff to pursue a $325,000 loan, which it plans to pay it back over five years.
The school will store the 12 buses at Mildred Osborne Elementary School. Pride College Prep charter school is currently in the Osborne building, but ARISE will takeover the school on July 1.
Shahan said Sophie B. Wright Charter School is the other school he knows of that operates its own fleet.
The board of directors also approved a technology plan and computer access and use policy, final steps for the school to become eligible for E-rate reimbursements next year. E-rate is a federal program that helps subsidize the cost of telecommunication services. Lewis said ARISE will be eligible for a 90 percent reimbursement because more than 90 percent of its students qualify for free or reduced lunch.
Shahan said ARISE was not previously eligible for E-rate because they shared their building with another school, and one only school could receive the reimbursement.
Shahan said both ARISE and Osborne are almost fully staffed for next year. He hopes to enroll 450 students at ARISE and 308 at Osborne next year. Based on intent to return forms completed by families Shahan is currently projecting 419 students for ARISE and 261 students for Osborne. He said after the next round of the Recovery School District’s unified enrollment system he will have a better idea of expected enrollment.
Members Granderson, Frazier, Reyes, Jen Walcott, Larry Eustis and Tom Snedeker were present for the hour long meeting Wednesday.