207U Board Tables Activity Bus Lease After Cost, Timing Concerns

By Andrea Arens

The Peotone CUSD 207U Board of Education voted Wednesday, Feb. 18 to table approval of a new activity bus lease after a lengthy discussion about cost, contract length and future transportation planning.

The proposed agreement with Midwest Transit Equipment would replace a white activity bus that was involved in an accident earlier this school year. The buses are used regularly for athletics, clubs and extracurricular programs.

Administrators said coaches and sponsors have already felt the absence of the vehicle.

“In the past week I’ve had three different coaches come to me and ask, ‘Please, are we getting back that bus?’” board Secretary Jennifer Moe told the board. “They are missing that bus and they are terrified of what they’re going to lose without having that.”

Student groups including chess, FFA, softball, volleyball, basketball camps and student council regularly rely on the smaller activity buses. Unlike full-size yellow buses, the white activity buses do not require drivers to hold a commercial driver’s license with a passenger endorsement, allowing coaches and sponsors to transport students.

Board members questioned whether a five-year lease was appropriate given that the district’s broader fleet lease expires in three years.

“I’d hate to be locked into the single bus for five when the other term comes up in three,” board member Tim Stoub said.

District officials said a two-and-a-half-year lease option was explored. That shorter term would cost approximately $5,300 more per year but would align with the timeline of the district’s existing transportation contracts, allowing the district to bid out its entire fleet at once.

“If it ends in line with the rest of our fleet, we can go outside of Midwest and look for competitive bids on our entire fleet,” Stoub explained.

Board members also discussed whether a smaller 12-passenger van could replace the activity bus. However, administrators noted that many student groups fill the 14-passenger buses, often with equipment. Capacity limits and driver licensing requirements complicate alternatives.

The board ultimately voted to table the lease until its March 2 meeting to allow additional review and potential renegotiation.

“I think if we can table until March 2, get it rewritten and then we’re voting on the rewrite and try to negotiate prices down some,” Stoub said before making the motion.

The motion to table passed unanimously.