‘PSS on top of bus repairs’

The Public School Systems is on top of the repairs on the eight school buses that were found vandalized and in different states of disrepair several weeks ago.

PSS associate commissioner for administrative services David M. Borja said school bus drivers are now keeping an eye on their vehicles.

He also said that PSS has already submitted purchase requisitions to two upholstery vendors for the repair of seat covers and cushions that were found badly tattered and ripped when Borja and other PSS officials inspected the buses in mid-April.

Borja said they were able to redirect some money from their operational funds for the repair of the buses.

“We were able to get a very fair price quote from the vendors and we are glad they are very, very helpful with that.”

He said the two purchase requisitions for the upholstery cost between $15,000 to $16,000.

Borja would send another two buses to the vendors for upholstery repair this Friday. This week the PSS has already three repaired buses out of the eight vandalized buses.

“Every week we would have at least one bus for upholstery repair,” he said.

Borja said, though, that the repair of the seats and cushions would have to be done on the weekends as the schoolchildren have little or no alternative means to go to school and return home. As it is, he said the eight school buses are already doing double time to ferry passengers to and from schools.

Vandalism on school buses has been a perennial problem, forcing the PSS to spend up to $60,000 every year just to replace the torn upholstery, clean up, and body repair of the vehicles.

The PSS earlier commended board member Herman T. Guerrero for pledging his $8,000 travel allowance and expense allocation for the repair of the school buses. Borja said, though, that Guerrero’s pledge could not be used because under the rules, federal funds could not be used for purposes other than their specified allocation.

The funds granted to Guerrero are for professional development of the board members, voting and non-voting, equally divided among them.

“That amount of money was offered but we could not take the offer because we were bound by the federal rules,” he said.

Borja said Guerrero’s offer was noble and he said he appreciated the gesture. He said federal money could be used for other purposes but not on operations.

“Maintenance and repairs are operations,” he said.

He said PSS would still have to ask for permission if the federal funds would be used for other purposes. Borja said they have done that in the past, such as for the maintenance and repair of cafeterias. He said they used federal food and nutrition money for the repairs and improvement of school cafeterias because the objectives are related to the function.