At its first meeting of the new school year, the Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School committee voted to accept the transfer of ownership of six school buses to the high school from the up-Island school district. The high school will now manage 18 buses that transport students to six different public schools on the Island.

Vineyard schools superintendent Dr. James H. Weiss said the up-Island district will give, not sell, the six-year-old buses to the high school. The value of the fleet is approximately $120,000, according to school business administrator Amy Tierney. Mr. Weiss said the up-Island district will participate in the Islandwide transportation system by paying a fee for each bus run.

“It’s a win-win for everyone,” Mr. Weiss said. “The up-Island school committee will win by saving on cost and liability of the buses, and the high school will win in the sense that they will have control of all the buses in the Martha’s Vineyard public school system.”

The change of ownership will take about two months to complete, Mr. Weiss said, in order to transfer insurance and repaint the buses. “This is exciting. We’ve come a long way in 10 years,” he said after the meeting.

The meeting heard positive thoughts from the new high school principal in his first report. Gilbert Traverso told the committee he is already impressed with the student body, beginning with freshman orientation last week. “This was the best freshmen orientation I’ve seen in all my years as an educator,” Mr. Traverso said.

In other business at Monday’s meeting the committee had a first reading for a policy that will require all employees at the regional high school to undergo more detailed criminal background checks. Fingerprinting will be required in the future as well.

Last September, Gov. Deval Patrick signed an amended background check law that allows the FBI to process fingerprints submitted for all public school employees in the state.

Mr. Weiss said any incoming staff will have to complete background checks immediately and current employees will have until 2016 to complete the tests. He said the checks cost $55 for licensed educators and $35 for support staff; all fees go directly to the commonwealth. Volunteers will not be required to be fingerprinted.