The Rochelle Township High School Board unanimously approved a five-year lease April 20 for a new 2025 activity bus.

The lease will replace a current bus lease that expires in June. The new 14-passenger model is a 2025 Chevy/Collins bus. The five-year annual lease payment will be $21,636.

District Business Manager Kevin Dale said the dollar difference for the lease is “not much” of an increase from what the district saw for similar buses in recent years.

“We’re proposing a five-year lease instead of a three-year lease because we want to get as much mileage out of it as we can,” Dale said. “It’s the exact same size as we’ve had in the past. To purchase one of these buses is around $130,000-plus and they can only be written off for five years. It’s cheaper to lease them.”

Personnel

The board unanimously approved personnel matters during the meeting, including the retirements of Beth Mock (art teacher, end of 2029-2030 school year) and Keith Reints (maintenance, effective April 30), the resignations of Nelson Baker (assistant wrestling coach), Nicole Canfield (math intervention specialist), David Cartwright (assistant baseball coach) and Karl Olsen (percussion instructor and assistant marching band director) and the employment of Nelson Baker (volunteer assistant wrestling coach), Troy Doetch (English teacher), James Hall (special education teacher) and Justin Otte (assistant football coach).

Principal’s report

During the principal’s report portion of the meeting, Assistant Principal Alison Vrana said ACT testing took place at RTHS on April 21. Juniors took the ACT test, a requirement for graduation. Freshmen and sophomores took PreACT tests. Seniors had the day off school and were encouraged to make college or employer visits.