Gwinnett County Schools: $3.2 million to buy 37 school buses

Gwinnett County school board members on Thursday approved a staff proposal to spend about $3.2 million to purchase 37 school buses.

Nineteen of the buses will carry a capacity of 48 students while the other 18 buses can seat as many as 72 students, according to school district records.

Gwinnett administrators have said the district has an aging school bus fleet and needs newer vehicles. The average age of a Gwinnett school bus is 17 years old, nearly twice the national average, officials said in a presentation earlier this year. The district purchased 13 school buses in June for about $1 million.