A new bus arriving soon and transportation issues were addressed at the Regional School Unit 73 board of directors meeting on Oct. 10. Pictured 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 board of directors at their Oct. 10 meeting that the new school bus 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.”

Special needs transportation is picking up because of McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, Jackman noted. Many people don’t know this is a federal law, the district has to make an effort to provide at least 50% of transportation, she said.

“We need vehicles and staff,” Jackman stated. “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 Department of Education and Maine schools follow the act’s provisions. The law helps students whose housing situations are impacting their education, the information notes. It states 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 prekindergarten through grade 12 who “lack a fixed, regular and adequate nighttime residence,” it notes.

It covers children and youth:

• Sharing housing due to loss of housing or economic hardship.

• Living in motels, hotels, trailer parks or camping grounds due to lack of alternative adequate housing.

• Living in emergency or transitional housing.

• Abandoned in hospitals.

• Having a primary nighttime residence that is a public or private place not designed for, or ordinarily used as regular sleeping accommodations.

• Living in cars, parks, public spaces, abandoned buildings, substandard housing, bus or train stations.

• Migratory students meeting the descriptions above.

When asked about uses for the new bus, Jackman said it will be wheelchair accessible, can also be used for other students. “We have nine chairs in the district right now,” she noted. “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.”

Jackman added the new bus has removable seats, can make space for 10 chairs but if needed, it can revert to a regular bus.

In other business, a change in format to voting with a show of hands was questioned by Tina Riley, a director from Jay. She referred to district policy on the board of directors voting method BEDF, which 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 noted. “I don’t think we should go against our policy,” she added.