CLEVELAND, Tenn. — City school officials say keeping an eye on school roofs and buses keeps future budget needs in line.

The Cleveland Board of Education’s site committee met last week to look at long-range building needs.

“Of course nothing is set in stone until the full board acts,” Schools Director Rick Denning said.

He presented a five-year plan for building improvements the committee says are needed. The plan will go before the full school board at its July meeting.

In addition to the five-year plan, Dr. Denning and others said the board needs a systematic plan for replacing roofs and buses, costs that recur each year.

State school bus regulations are getting tougher in the next few years, Maintenance and Transportation Supervisor Tommy Green said.

Four new buses are on order now, thanks to a Cleveland City Council commitment of $346,000, Mr. Green said.

School buses are allowed to run regular routes until they reach 150,000 miles, he said. They can be up to 17 years old on a regular route if they are below the mileage limit, he said.

“And the e-mails I have been getting say that it’s 150,000, period. No questions asked,” Dr. Denning said.

City school buses average 10,000 miles a year on their routes, officials said.

Board member Tom Cloud said Cleveland is more fortunate than some systems.

“They have very long routes and 150,000 miles comes up a lot sooner,” he said.

The average cost of a school bus this year is between $82,000 and $84,000, Mr. Green said.

Keeping a strict roof-repair schedule is just as important as keeping control of the bus purchase schedule, Dr. Denning said.

“I have worked in systems that got so far behind they could never catch up,” Dr. Denning said.

Board member Murl Dirksen said roof leaks can be very expensive, damaging buildings, the books and equipment inside. Delaying the roof work doesn’t save money, he said.

“You can pay for the roofs or you can pay for the damages, which are a lot more,” he said.

Committee Chairman Max Carroll said the panel was being proactive.

“I’m glad we are getting all this to the board early so they have time to make decisions,” Mr. Carroll said.

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