Regional School Unit 73 directors meet Thursday evening at Spruce Mountain Middle School in Jay where Transportation Director Norma Jackman advised a new school bus with removeable seats to accommodate wheelchairs will be delivered soon. From left are Directors Roger Moulton, Jodi Cordes, Andrew Sylvester, Danielle Brotherton, Lenia Coates, Dawn Strout, Holly Morris and Don Emery. Pam Harnden/Livermore Falls Advertiser

JAY — Transportation Director Norma Jackman told Regional School Unit 73 directors Thursday evening that the new school bus that accommodates up to 10 wheelchairs or can seat 66 passengers should be delivered soon.

“It left the factory on Oct. 8,” she said. “It is a wheelchair bus with removable seats. It can accommodate 10 chairs if needed. With all the seats in, we will be able to accommodate 66 passengers.”

She said there are nine wheelchairs in the district. “If we have to evacuate for any reason we will be able to do it with one bus. That is something that we haven’t been able to do in the past. We have had to line up three buses to get the chairs out of the schools in an emergency and that is a big issue for me. I think they should be able to go all at once.”

Special needs transportation is picking up because of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, Jackman said. It’s a federal law that requires districts to make an effort to provide at least 50% of transportation, she said.

“We need vehicles and staff,” Jackman said. “That is something we battle with every day. The phone calls come in. If not once a day, it is on a weekly basis. This is something you want to look at when you get around to talking about funding.”

According to information provided, Maine public schools follow the law, which helps students whose housing situations are impacting their education. It states that students can remain enrolled in the schools they had been attending even if they are temporarily staying out of the district, which must provide transportation.

McKinney-Vento protections apply to all public school students in prekindergarten through grade 12 who “lack a fixed, regular and adequate nighttime residence,” it notes.

In other business, Director Tina Riley of Jay questioned why the board was voting by a show of hands instead of by a roll call, as the district policy specifies. It states: “Maine public officials are obliged to vote opening; thus, secret ballots are not to be used by the Board. Voting shall be done by roll call.”

“I am all over the idea of not doing a roll call,” Riley said. “It is way faster, but we need to follow what the policy says.” If the board wishes, the policy can be changed, she said.

Roll call votes were used during the rest of the meeting.