COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

P.O. BOX 2120

RICHMOND, VIRGINIA 23218-2120

SUPTS. MEMO NO. 12

December 3, 2004

REGULATORY

TO:	Division Superintendents
FROM:	Jo Lynne DeMary Superintendent of Public Instruction
SUBJECT:	Specifications for 2005 Model School Buses

Pursuant to the provisions of the Regulations Governing Pupil Transportation, attached are the approved specifications for the 2005 model school buses. These specifications were developed by a committee of representatives from school divisions. They were then posted on the Departments website for 30 days to allow school divisions and other interested parties to submit comments prior to presenting them to the Board of Education for final approval.

At its November 17, 2004, meeting the Board of Education approved the specifications as recommended by the specifications committee and the Department. Some of the more significant changes include:

1. Conventional Type C Buses Historically, Virginia has allowed Type C buses with seating configurations up to 64 passengers. These specifications introduce 71 and 77 passenger configurations.

2. Seating Capacity Last year, Virginia removed the requirement for the manufacturers to submit annual floor plans and seating plans. To clarify our bus seating capacities, section 59 D. of the specifications explains seating configurations for both Type C and Type D buses. This change requires a corresponding change in the seating capacities used in the Bus Type Specifications.

These specifications can be found at the following website address:

http://www.doe.virginia.gov/VDOE/Finance/approvedbusspecs.pdf

If you have any questions concerning the specifications, please contact Ms. June Eanes, director of support services, at (804) 225-2037, or e-mail june.eanes@doe.virginia.gov.

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