JEFFERSON — A recent act of vandalism has caused the Jefferson City Schools Board of Education to make an unexpected purchase.

In recent weeks, a system school bus was the target of vandals and sustained more than $2,000 worth of damage. The 23-year-old bus was purchased about six years ago from the Gwinnett County Schools System for $1,500 to transport middle-school students to the stadium and various other locations. Because the cost of repairs exceeded the value of the bus, the school board declared the vehicle as surplus during its meeting Thursday.

“Windows were knocked out; the windshield was removed; and the seats were all cut up,” said John Jackson, school system superintendent during the meeting. “We’ve filed a police report, but we don’t have any ideas yet about who is responsible.”

The bus had been stored at the middle school, but since the incident, buses will be stored at the bus yard and checked in and out daily, Jackson says.

During the meeting, the board also approved purchasing two used buses from the Social Circle Schools System. In addition to being a replacement vehicle for the vandalized bus, they also will be substitutes for buses that are used to run regular routes. The buses were purchased for $1,500 each.

According to Earl Griffin, system transportation director, the new buses are in excellent condition, featuring newly covered seats and engines with seals that were replaced last year.

The purchase comes after the school board established a line of credit with Northeast Georgia Bank to cover operating costs until funds from local tax collections are received. The board approved the line of credit — which has a cap of $1 million — at its meeting last month.

About $500,000 of the available credit is expected to be withdrawn by the school system by Thursday. The credit contract expires at the end of December.

During the meeting, the board also approved purchasing multiple instruments for the high-school and middle-school band programs.

The instruments — including a concert snare drum, two tenor saxophones and a bass clarinet — were among the items identified over the summer by the schools’ band directors.