I am concerned with the age of some of the school buses in our district.

Most parents don’t know what the numbers on the buses mean. The first two numbers are the year model. If a bus has a number such as 91-182, it is a 1991 model. Bus 93-16 is a special education bus, one of the oldest. Our children deserve better because they are the most precious cargo to be transported.

All the new buses operate in the city and all the old ones operate in the county on the longest routes. One driver I know drives 100 miles a day.

Is this what consolidation did? Give everything to the city? The city gets the most casino money. The schools get the least.

I see new trucks and machinery in the county, so why can’t our children get new buses that are safer? How safe are our buses?

Without school buses, most children would not get to school. A bus with an 88 number is 22 years old. School buses should not be over 10 years old. Parents need to get involved.

Linda Shiers

Vicksburg