Lampasas ISD will receive 12 new school buses at the end of September or perhaps early October, according to district officials.
The new buses will be purchased with funds voters approved as part of the May 2 bond election. The cost per bus is approximately $163,000.
District Superintendent Dr. Chane Rascoe noted it could take time for the district to purchase more buses, as it awaits the guaranteed maximum price of the new Lampasas Middle School campus.
“We have to be mindful to make sure that we have enough money to cover the middle school [construction] in case there is any type of overage there,” Rascoe said. “I don’t foresee there being one.”
Voters said “yes” to Proposition A’s $115.55 million in bonds to apply toward a new middle school, 35 new school buses, plus districtwide safety and security improvements. LISD is eyeing a price of $105 million for the new campus.
The district is still figuring out the layout for the new middle school and deciding how it should approach renovations at Bozarth-Fowler Gym. For the time being, additional bus purchases and security upgrades are on hold until the district learns the price of the new LMS structure.
“There are just too many variables right now, and you don’t want to spend all your money right now and then have to turn around and go out for money in a bond,” Rascoe said. “That is not going to be wise. We are just trying to manage our money right.”
In June, the district OK’d the purchase of 12 school buses and three for special education students from Longhorn Bus Sales. Special education buses are likely to arrive later due to their added specifications.
The district has plenty of time to comply with Senate Bill 546. The law passed in 2025 requires all school districts to install three-point seat belts on each bus before Sept. 1, 2029.
Only 20 of LISD’s 59 buses contain three-point seat belts, but that number will grow when new buses arrive.