AUSTINTOWN — The school district will have two new buses in circulation next year, and officials say they hope to have a total of five new vehicles in the fleet over the next five years.

“We’re getting to the point where older buses are ready to be pulled off the road,” Angie Mraz, Austintown Local Schools transportation superintendent, said. “All our buses are safe and pass state inspection, but the older they are, the more money it costs to keep them on the road.”

Mraz said the first two new buses have been ordered, but have not yet been manufactured. The district expects to have them in the garage next September.

The new buses cost $138,000 each. Treasurer Blaise Karlovic said the district paid for them from its permanent improvement fund, which is regularly used for that purpose.

The district’s bus fleet comprises 45 buses, including spares. Mraz said the district put 34 buses into daily rotation last year.

The district also made bus scheduling changes for its youngest passengers for the upcoming school year. Austintown has always bused students in grades K-5 together, but this year it will bus Austintown Elementary School (K-2) students separately from those at Austintown Intermediate School (grades 3-5).

“There was a slight adjustment to scheduling in the buildings at those levels,” Mraz said. “It has a lot to do with the number of students on the buses and the length of the routes.”

Mraz said the busing changes mean greater safety and satisfaction for students. Fewer students on the bus means drivers can pay closer attention to behavior and maintain better control, and shorter routes should be easier on students.

Mraz said bus routes and schedules will be released to parents as usual in the week before school starts, and all information will be available online.

dpompili@vindy.com