FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) — On Tuesday, SACS school board members approved the 2024 budget as well as established plans for the Capital Projects and Bus Replacement pieces within the operation fund.

In total, a little over $100 million was at adopted at the meeting but was ultimately categorized into four different funds.

Within that operations budget, a certain amount of money was allocated to capital projects which includes funding for the Homestead High School project that’s set to be finished in 2025 and various other improvements across the district.

It also included a five-year bus replacement plan that SACS Director of Business Mark Snyder explained to WANE 15:

“…we’re only allowed to replace buses once every 12 years. So, we put those on a rotating cycle. Any of our replacement this year, those buses, we will trade or sell outright, those would be 12 years old or older. But we do have a couple of new buses that we’re requesting. Just because we have grown quite a bit over the last 9-0 years.”

Snyder said with a couple new busses in addition to the ones their replacing, they hope to have less route cancellations.

He also the main thing is finding people to drive those buses as they are still on the hunt for more bus drivers.