Buses under the car of the Sampson Bus Garge
Sampson County School Bus Garage mechanic Kevin Bass, who has been an employee for over four years, works on a bus brought in for repairs
School transportation in Sampson County and Clinton City has shown marked improvement over the last year, doing a far better job of using resources that, in the end, equate to safer buses and less expenses.
County school officials were made aware of those findings during a recent Board of Education meeting where the 2024-25 audit of the School Bus Garage was presented.
That audit, completed through the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, shows that the school bus garage, and thus the transportation system, decreased in point value by over 18, a tremendous leap in the right direction. Lower scores on audits show improvements have been made from one year to the next.
In the 2024-25 findings, the school garage was issued a score of 28.81 compared to last year’s score of 47.60.
“I am extremely proud that we are making progress and rising in our reports each year,” noted Vicki Westbrook, director of transportation for the systems. “I can only hope to maintain this uphill climb and maintain our effort to do better,” she stressed.
Westbrook credited her staff for “being reliable and working together as at team” for helping to improve the scores that were received this year.
The lower score means that buses are safer and those at the bus garage are doing a better job of keeping inventory, and costs, lower.
The audit is performed by DPI staff, who, for this audit, pulled 16 (10 percent) buses to inspect in accordance with the NC Bus Fleet manual, adopted by the state in 2017.
The buses are selected at random and were inspected and found to have several minor repair needs. Only two buses, the audit noted, were in need of major repairs — one that needed front springs replaced and the other having a fuel leak at the filter.
Those buses were pulled out of work immediately until repairs were made, with spare buses being used in their place while out of commission. Three activity buses were also pulled for inspection, with all three passing inspection and none having to be pulled out of duty. An improvement from last years inspection, where one of the activity buses had to be pulled out of duty due to major repair issues.
Also inspected were maintenance records for school buses. Those findings showed the records and the maintenance of those buses to be satisfactory. In addition to looking at the maintenance records during the review, DPI staff reviewed the inspection staff employed by the school system. Inspection must be done by qualified individuals who must have at least 20 hours of in-service training, hold a certificate through the NCDPI, and maintain continuing ed and re-certification as needed. The report given on qualified staff was satisfactory, the same as last year’s report, which indicated a good level of qualified staff.
Inventory logs were also under scrutiny with 20 random items reviewed. The audit found that all 20 items had zero discrepancies between the number written and the number found, with a satisfactory report being given on those items, another part of the audit which showed improvement from last year’s report, where three items of inventory were unaccounted for.
Combined, Clinton City and Sampson County schools have 150 buses on the roads, with those in the city traveling roughly 1,500 miles per day. County school buses travel roughly 8,700 miles per day and transporting ,1450 students. Each bus is to be inspected every 30 days as per NCDPI policy to ensure student safety while being transported as well as to help prevent major maintenance issues.