<div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr">I agree with everything that Sherry said. We have MANY vans and have hired van drivers due to district need! The only difference is that we typically budget for them annually- but that still goes to the board for approval.<br><div><br></div><div><br></div></div><br><div class="gmail_quote gmail_quote_container"><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_attr">On Tue, Feb 3, 2026 at 2:07 PM Sherry Moody <<a href="mailto:smoody@mcst8.org">smoody@mcst8.org</a>> wrote:<br></div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div>Hi Lisa,</div><div><br></div><div>Here are my answers. We have two min-vans and a multi-functional 14 passenger "bus."</div><div><br></div><div><div>Van and liability insurance - <b>Our insurance provider had no issue adding any of these vehicles to our school's policy</b></div><div>Maintenance - Other than typical vehicle maintenance, was there anything additional or special details that you needed to have done to the van? <b>Nothing that I am aware of... just routine vehicle maintenance.</b></div><div>RFP or not - Did you do a RFP or was the amount below the threshold? <b>We did not do an RFP but we did solicit quotes from area dealerships - we ended up with used vans in very good condition</b></div><div>Approval from School Board - Did you need to get approval first? <b>Yes</b></div><div>Staff training; license/background checks - What do you require of your drivers? <b>We do routine background checks and keep a copy of their driver's license on file</b></div><div><br></div><div>Does anyone know if it is better to own or lease? <b>We own all our vehicles</b></div><div><br></div><div>If there is anything else that I need to know, please tell me :) <b>Our vans are a lifesaver since we have had an issue finding bus drivers</b></div></div><div><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_signature"><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div>----</div><div>Sherry Moody, Business Mgr</div><div>Mid-Coast School of Technology</div><div>1 Main Street</div><div>Rockland, ME 04841</div><div>(207) 594-2161</div><div><div style="font-size:12.8px"><font face="tahoma, sans-serif" size="2"><font color="#666666"><a href="http://www.mcst8.org/" target="_blank">www.mcst8.org</a></font></font></div><div style="font-size:12.8px"><font color="#666666" face="tahoma, sans-serif" size="2"><img src="https://www.google.com/a/mcst.tec.me.us/images/logo.gif" width="200" height="82"></font></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><br></div><br><div class="gmail_quote"><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_attr">On Tue, Feb 3, 2026 at 1:41 PM Lisa Swift <<a href="mailto:lswift@veaziecs.org" target="_blank">lswift@veaziecs.org</a>> wrote:<br></div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex"><div dir="ltr"><div>Hello,</div><div> I am reaching out to those schools that have school vans. We are looking to possibly purchase or lease a van to transport to Stillwater Academy, KidsPeace and Bangor Regional Program. I am wondering if someone has a list of everything that needs to be done in order to own a van, such as:</div><div>Van and liability insurance - Were you able to add these with your current policy holders? Is there any information about this that you think I should know?</div><div>Maintenance - Other than typical vehicle maintenance, was there anything additional or special details that you needed to have done to the van?</div><div>RFP or not - Did you do a RFP or was the amount below the threshold? </div><div>Approval from School Board - Did you need to get approval first?</div><div>Staff training; license/background checks - What do you require of your drivers?</div><div><br></div><div>Does anyone know if it is better to own or lease? Where we are right in the middle of all these out of district schools we are looking at only 35 miles a day at the most. </div><div><br></div><div>If there is anything else that I need to know, please tell me :)</div><div><br></div><div>Thank you in advance for your help!</div><div><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_signature"><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr">Lisa Swift<div>Business, Payroll and Human Resource Manager</div><div>Veazie School Department</div><div>1040 School Street</div><div>Veazie, ME 04401</div><div>P: (207)947-6573 ext. 309 F: (207)947-6570</div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>
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