The Fort Dodge Community School District’s fleet of school buses will welcome four new 77-passenger buses soon.

On Monday, the school board approved a bid from Hoglund Bus Co., of Marshalltown, to purchase the four buses for $488,596. The purchase price includes the trade-in allowance of $15,000 for four retiring buses.

The four buses being traded in range from 9 to 11 years old and have between 86,000 and 113,000 miles.

Board member Bill Kent asked what the lifetime years or miles are on the district’s school buses.

“Our fleet is about 10 years old,” said Director of Transportation Brad Niemeyer.

The oldest buses on the fleet are from 2011 or 2012, he said. Since the buses are on a 10-year rotation, each school year, a few of the older buses are picked for retirement and replacement.

Other bids received were from Thomas Built Buses, of Des Moines, for $517,244, including $20,000 trade-in allowance; and School Bus Sales Co., of Waterloo, for $525,516, including $4,000 trade-in allowance.

The board started Monday’s meeting with nominating and electing the board president and vice president for the next year.

School Board President Stu Cochrane was reelected to the president role by the board. Cochrane has served as board president since 2011 and has been a member of the school board for 26 years.

Board member Angie Tracy was nominated and elected to the vice president role previously held by board member Lisa Shimkat. Tracy is in her eighth year on the school board.

In other business, Superintendent Denise Schares discussed how the district determines when winter weather causes school delays and cancellations. Schares said that she, in collaboration with Niemeyer, will make the decisions based on the review of multiple weather media sources, travel throughout the district with a focus on rural areas, consultation with surrounding school districts and consultation with local law enforcement.

The district aims to make the weather calls by 5:15 a.m., or as early as possible. Once a delay or cancellation is deemed necessary, notifications will go out to district families over Infinite Campus, the school district’s website and social media, The Messenger’s website and social media, as well as local radio stations and regional television stations.