photo by flickr user tncountryfan

There's a bill in the South Carolina Legislature that would remove the responsibility of school bus maintenance and operation from the state and put it in the hands of the counties.  Some in Horry County fear this would be a bad move.

As reported by WMBF, a few school board members are concerned about the extra cost to Horry County residents, mentioning the possibility for tax hikes.  However, according to the School Transportation News, South Carolina is the only state in the country to own and operate a school bus system at the state level. 

The bill calls for a change to be in place by the 2012-2013 school year offering counties the opportunity to purchase the vehicles and run the school bus programs or to contract out to third-parties. 

You can have a look at the full text of the bill here.  There's also a great write-up on the Richland School District Two's site here.  It details the options counties have and talks about preference for maintaining personnel.