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Education

Gwinnett County to spend $3 million on new school buses

Gwinnett County is using cameras like this to catch motorists who pass school buses when they stop to pick up or drop off students. KENT JOHNSON / AJC.COM
Gwinnett County is using cameras like this to catch motorists who pass school buses when they stop to pick up or drop off students. KENT JOHNSON / AJC.COM
By
Dec 16, 2016

Gwinnett County school board members approved a staff plan late Thursday to spend about $3.2 million to purchase 37 school buses.

The school district is using money collected from its school bus camera safety program to buy the vehicles, Gwinnett spokeswoman Sloan Roach said. Gwinnett began placing video cameras on its buses in 2014 to catch motorists driving past stopped school buses.

Gwinnett administrators have stressed the need to upgrade its aging school bus fleet. The average age of a Gwinnett school bus is 17 years old, nearly twice the national average, officials said in one presentation. Some were made in 1986.

The school district spent $3.3 million in October to buy another 37 school buses and about $1.1 million in June to purchase an additional 13 buses.

Check out The Atlanta Journal-Constitution's Ultimate School Guide to learn more about test scores and other information in Gwinnett County's school system.

A bus driver, who parents call a hero, is recovering after a crash in Gwinnett County.

About the Author

Eric Stirgus joined The Atlanta Journal-Constitution in 2001. He is the newsroom's education editor. Born and raised in Brooklyn, N.Y., Eric is active in the Atlanta Association of Black Journalists and the Education Writers Association and enjoys mentoring aspiring journalists.

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