Moses Lake School Board adjust meetings, receives good bus report
Buses sit at the Moses Lake School District transportation facility on a foggy winter day. The district’s transportation department received a letter of commendation from the Washington State Patrol for the condition of its bus fleet.
FILE PHOTO
MOSES LAKE — Moses Lake School Board members cut their schedule to one meeting in July and August. Board members agreed on the change earlier, but made it official on a unanimous vote at the regular meeting June 29.
“In June, July and August, we’ll have one meeting, the fourth Thursday of those months,” said district Superintendent Monty Sabin.
The remaining summer meetings in 2023 will be July 27 and Aug. 24.
The board will meet twice monthly during most of the school year.
“We’ll continue having two meetings a month, the second and fourth Thursdays, in January, February, March, April, May, September, October,” Sabin said. “In November and December we’ll have one meeting, the second Thursday of each month.”
In other business, the yearly inspection of the district’s bus fleet resulted in a letter of commendation.
Transportation manager Lorri Smith said state standards are very stringent.
“It’s very, very difficult to get a high rating on those inspections,” she said.
A bus that does not pass inspection is taken out of service. Smith said the district had less than 1% of its buses taken out of service after inspection during the last two school years.
“That kind of service record is not new for the Moses Lake School District,” Smith said.
The person who supervises the mechanical maintenance of the buses expressed pride in the record as well.
“It’s been 29 consecutive years that we’ve gotten this award,” said Lanny Knopp, the district’s lead mechanic.
Knopp gave credit to the mechanics, bus drivers and all transportation employees. There are two inspections each year, one for all buses during the summer and an unannounced one during the school year that examines about 25% of the fleet. In that case buses are inspected as they return to the garage after running a route, Knopp said.
“This award is actually for the whole department, from the dispatchers on down,” he said.
Cheryl Schweizer can be reached via email at cschweizer@columbiabasinherald.com.