The Oglethorpe County Board of Education decided to purchase two propane-powered school buses to replace older models Tuesday, in order to keep the district’s transportation program running efficiently.
Each bus will cost $155,033, with $88,110 in state bond funds applied to each purchase. The remaining $66,923.01 will come from the district’s Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST), for a total of $133,846.02 in local funding.
Superintendent Beverley Levine said the district chose propane because it burns cleaner and is easier to maintain than diesel.
Propane buses are also about $10,599 more per vehicle but require less maintenance. Board members agreed those benefits outweighed the higher upfront costs, especially since the district already operates propane buses and has an appropriate fueling infrastructure.
The board also approved a Career, Technical and Agricultural Education (CTAE) purchase for Oglethorpe County High School funded through an $80,000 Top State Talent Grant from the Georgia Department of Education.
Assistant principal and CTAE director Ean Sonnier said the grant will pay for a new John Deere tractor, a welding cutter and other equipment for the agriculture program. Any remaining expenses will be covered locally or through Perkins grants.
BOE members also discussed a just-approved residential development near school property that could bring roughly 86 new homes to the area.
Board member Jake Willcox said he spoke with the developer, Andy Barrs, about potential walking trails connecting to the campus and emphasized that safety and security would remain priorities as construction continues.
“He seemed to be very amenable to keeping us in the loop,” Willcox said.
In other business, the board:
- Approved Option 2 for the 2026-27 school calendar, which sets the first day of classes in August rather than July.
- Recognized OCHS senior Luke Huff for winning the 12th-grade showmanship at the Georgia National Fair, and Cole Faust for winning the State Tractor Operation and Maintenance CDE.
- Named Jennifer Yauck as the district’s 2025-26 System Teacher of the Year.
- Recognized OCES’s Anel Utley, OCMS’s Alicia Kirk and OCHS’s Lorinda Hitchcock as Classified Employees of the Year at their schools.