The Kennewick courier-reporter. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1939-1949, 1940-05-23
MORE ABOUT
School Election
(Continued from First Pagel


ton that Mr.. Fyfe and other agents
may tell us that they can write the
insurance. However, Mr.. Johnson
was sincere when he wrote the in
surance last year, but after the safe
ty engineer for the company sur
veyed the BUSES the insurance was
cancelled. We feel that when one
reliable company cancels our in
surance it is only a matter of time
until all reliable companies do like
wise. Now since an insurance COM
pany will not consider our BUSES
good risks for their money the adj
ministration feels that we have a
moral obligation when we have to
consider them risks for your child
rem.
I believe MIR. Mills was unfair
putting words into my mouth in re-
gard to costs of remodeling the
washington building for a garage.
A more than adequate new building
could be constructed for a much less
figure than he mentioned. The
directors are considering, If the
buses are bought, permitting driv-
ers to keep the BUSES at home where
storage is provided. Some of the
drivers have already said they could
take care of the storage. The school
district has never considered hav-
ing student drivers. Mr.. Mills sug-
gestion Of buying one bus at time
as we could pay for it would not per-
NIT an economical fleet operation
to begin at once. Since our bus
costs are already about as high as
they can be in order to collect one
half of the cost from the state.
A further expansion per year of
$4,000 would have to come out of
some other phase of education in
the district. This could not be done
without crippling education in the
community. .~ -,
Our present cost of bussing is ap-
proximately Sill, 500 per year. Should
we initiate fleet operation of BUSES
we could operate our whole fleet for
$1,000 per year. An additional
charge which we are permitted of
ten percent of the original cost of
the BUSES to be charged into our
cost of transportation would amount
to ten percent of $4,000 or $4,000,
which we could add to our $4,000 op-
GRAFTON cost making total of $10,-
500. OF this amount our per pupil
mile days would permits us to col
lect one half. Our expense on the
bonds would be approximately ST.
$50 over q period of ten years.
In other words we can buy the
new busses with bonds and operate
and pay for them approximately ST.
600 per year cheaper than you are
paying now for the present type of
transportation. Why then should
we not eliminate our buSsing prob
lem. There are some who will say
this can not be done. There are
those who said few years ago we
could not take seven mill special
levy off the district and build
school building and continue to OPP
crate Now, we have the building,
are still operating and have never
replaced the seven mill levy. Then
too some are probably not aware of
the fact that the bonds will not
add any additional taxes to our tax
rolls. Since the forty mill bill has
been in effect bonds for school dis
tricts must be paid for out of the
ten mill operating cost. You are
paying this ten mills now and will
continue to pay it whether you buy
the BUSES or not.
Mr.. Mills informed you last week
that my former statements on the
highway patrolmen amounted only
to bogey-man. Since that time
the local state patrolmen of the
highway accompanied by Captain
Carnahan of Yakima, inspected the
BUSES. Mr.. Carnahan states that
these buSSes were examined in De-
cember of 1899 by Officer L. A.
Grimes and that we were told the
bodies were in poor condition and
that we would be granted only one
or two years to replace all the bo-
dies on the seven busses we have
We have operated them one out of
the two years now.
MIR. Carnahan said he felt that
MIR. Grimes was exceedingly gener-
GUS in permitting us that much
time in view of the laws they should
follow. There is strict law in
this state on over loading school
BUSES. Every child is supposed to
have a seat in the bus, and it would
take only one complaint from a pa
tron to the State Department of
Education to stop any bus operat-
ing when a child is forced to stand.
Mr.. Carnahan has cited three buses