The Georgetown ISD board of trustees is expected to consider a memorandum of understanding with American Traffic Solutions and the city of Georgetown to put cameras on school buses to catch drivers who pass the bus while it's red lights are flashing during drop-off or pick-up times.

Trustees are expected to vote on the issue at their Jan. 21 meeting.

School district officials presented the proposal to the City Council at a Nov. 26 workshop meeting.

Between Sept. 30 and Oct. 25 the district counted 431 violations, GISD Director of Transportation Walter Prothro told the council.

"It's one of the most dangerous things going on in the school bus business right now," Prothro said. "There are roughly 23 to 26 kids killed a year in the United States in and around a school bus. Two-thirds of those are kids trying to cross the street who get hit by a passing car, so this is a very serious matter."

If approved, the cameras would be installed on up to 10 buses on the routes with the highest number of violations. More cameras could be installed in the future or moved to different routes as the program progresses, said David Jackson with ATS.

Prothro said there would be no out of pocket costs to the city or the school district to pay for the cameras or run the program. The funding would come from fines paid by violators who are ticketed.

"This is going to cost us nothing in terms of money, [and] we might even save a life," Prothro said.

Along with the cameras, GISD Superintendent Joe Dan Lee said the program also encourages driver education and a public awareness program.

"It amazes me when people drive through the flashing red light on the bus," Lee said at the Dec. 16 school board meeting. "[We want to] try to deter as much as possible. [There is] going to be a huge education component."

The agreement must be approved by the GISD board of trustees as well as City Council. The council must also approve an ordinance.