School districts are being made more responsible for bus inspections
State budget cuts have impacted Michigan's education system in a lot of ways. And now they're even affecting how our kids get to school.
It used to be that the government would pay state police to come in and inspect every single one of our school buses, but now those days are over. And these budget cuts are putting that responsibility in the hands of our local school districts.
Nearly 80 percent of Negaunee area school kids take the bus to school, making it more important than ever that they're safe.
Negaunee Superintendent Jim DeRocher says it's their top priority.
"It's very important that our buses are safe. It's very important peace of mind for us that when we tell our parents that we will transport children to and from school in a safe manner, we do it with safe equipment," says DeRocher.
Even though the state won't be checking the buses like they used to, the mechanics who work on the buses say they aren't worried, and that when the state does stop by for spot checks, the buses will be ready.
"We check them so much that I really don't feel like it's going to put a lot of pressure on us, some districts maybe, but by checking them all the time, we pretty much know what's going on with them day in and day out," says Negaunee bus mechanic, Jim Nylander.
Jim's co-mechanic, Gary Bischof, says that when there's a squeaky brake or a light that needs to be replaced, the district makes it easy for them to fix it.
"We've never had any problems with the administration questioning us with what we spend; they trust us with what needs to be done," says Bischof.
So what do Gary and Jim do to keep the district's fleet of 30 buses running? Every morning Gary checks the buses before they leave to pick up the kids. He checks the lights, tires, and under the front hood. And once a month, they do a thorough check under each bus, checking the exhaust, brakes, and the steering wheel. They find that by catching small problems and fixing them, they avoid bigger problems later.
Although it is time intensive, they feel it's worth it to keep the kids safe.
"I have grandchildren in the district, and I've been here 21 years now, and that's just the way we work," Nylander says.
"I think it's priority number one to make sure those buses are in tip top shape to keep the kids safe," Bischof adds.
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