FARMINGTON — RSU 9 directors voted Tuesday to enter into a lease-purchase agreement with TD Equipment Finance Inc. for a 66-passenger bus for $91,400.

The agreement for the Blue Bird bus is for three years.

The district received three quotes to finance the bus. TD Equipment Finance was the lowest, Superintendent Tom Ward said.

It is becoming more and more difficult to get the state to approve reimbursement of buses each year, he said. “We are lucky we got one.”

There was a time when districts with large fleets could get four or five buses at a time. With the district’s aging fleet and the number of buses it has, there is a need to replace more than one a year, he said.

The lease-purchase agreement is the most cost effective way to pay for buses, Vice Chairwoman Claire Andrews of Farmington said.

Ward also said the district is very fortunate to have its own maintenance crew to take care of the buses.

The district plans to move to propane-fueled buses, he said. It has also had the best luck, best longevity with Blue Bird buses, he added.

In other business, Ward updated the board on new hires and staff transfers.

Tabatha Emery of Farmington has been hired as administrative assistant to the superintendent and assistant superintendent/director of curriculum. She is a Mt. Blue High School graduate and has lots of family in the area, Ward said.

Other hires are Dylan Stefani, educational technician II, special education at the Cushing School in Wilton; Peter Barton, bus driver/custodian; and Amanda Barker, educational technician I duty monitor at Academy Hill School in Wilton.

Staff approved for transfers are Dana Baxter from Mt. Blue Campus secretary to duty monitor at Mallett School in Farmington; Melissa Yeaton to educational technician II special education at Cushing School; Debbie Nightingale, half-time special services; Katie Reed to educational technician III prekindergarten through third grade; and Alycia Stevens from bus driver to bus driver/custodian.

The board voted to approve a one-year leave of absence for Lawrence Churchill, a bus driver/custodian, for personal and medical reasons.

dperry@sunjournal.com