Are Bulldog Busses Back?

The “Yellow Dog” school busses could become a thing of the past for WHS’s activity fleet.

At the latest Winslow Unified Governing Board meeting, held last Wednesday, Transportation Fleet Manager Gary Muchmore proposed purchasing two buses with a maroon or white exterior instead of the traditional yellow and black.

Muchmore explained the colorful busses could only be used for travel, not for everyday routes. He added the need to run an activity bus on a route is a rare occurrence.

Activity busses differ from route busses in the number of occupants they can carry. Activity busses carry 46 passengers while route buses carry 84. The activity busses that Muchmore is considering purchasing include air conditioning and TV monitors and a VCR unit to make long trips more enjoyable.

He estimated purchasing a single colored bus would raise the price by only $200. Muchmore added it might be a good idea to include community involvement in the graphics or extra features to the paint job.

The setback to purchasing a colored bus is the Department of Public Safety will not conduct inspections on busses that are not yellow and black. To fix this problem, the company that manufactures the colored busses conducts independent inspections for a reasonable price.

The matter was not finalized but will be looked into further.

Muchmore also explained the district’s new Inclement Weather Day plan. When icy weather blocks school busses from driving through certain streets, the busses will be sent out two hours later.

The two-hour delay will result in less school days missed due to bad weather.

The board accepted donations for $59 from the Reminder for the Junior High Perfect Attendance Program that gives a bike away each month.

They accepted $1,000 from Ames Ford for the sponsorship of the Ames Ford Shootout. They also accepted $1,500 from the Winslow Chamber of Commerce for the Winter Classic Basketball Tournament, which will be held next weekend.

The board approved the out-of-state travel for one staff member to attend a baseball clinic in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and another staff member to attend the WBITE Regional Conference in San Francisco.

The resignations of Darryl Smith and Lyna Burrage were approved. The hiring of Gina Baker as a half-time library aide at Jefferson Elementary was approved.

The following people were approved as substitute teachers: Lillian Scala, Jeffrey Hartman, Jacquelyn Landis, Jeremy Kanuho, Lisa Coffey, Nora Sepi and Lisa Herron.