| State School Bus Privatizing |
| Governor Mark Sanford says the Department
of Education might be able to save money by privatizing the school
bus system. Education officials say South Carolina is the only state in the nation that owns and maintains its own school buses. The buses cost the state millions of dollars each year in maintenance, repair, replacement and staffing. State Superintendent Inez Tenenbaum says the Education Department will need 67 million dollars more than it has now for the next fiscal year to pay for school bus maintenance, new equipment and driver salaries. Overall, Tenenbaum told Sanford the agency needs about 589 million dollars more than it has. Sanford is gathering input from state agencies as he prepares his executive budget. Sanford says a 1998 study by the Budget and Control Board shows the state could save as much as 250 million dollars by privatizing its school bus system. |