The new school year begins in less than two weeks, and the Guthrie Center School District will have an additional school bus in its arsenal.

Superintendent Steve Smith says the school board recently approved purchasing a new 77-passenger school bus from Thomas Bus Sales for $88,900. He explains why the district needed an additional bus.

“For our routes and also for activity routes. When we take kids back and forth through the two schools and then as well as going to extra-curricular activities. We needed another larger bus, so that’s what that purchase was for.”

He adds that they will also have flexibility to utilize the extra bus for a number of different areas, including using it on a gravel route if needed.