Board hears transportation report on routes, software transition and special-education needs

District transportation staff briefed the board on recent operational work, including a planned administrative transition from VersaTrans to the related Tyler Technologies product Transvera and next steps for family-facing features. Board members and staff discussed an IDOT review that found a recent route submission did not meet reimbursement thresholds; board members asked staff to develop clear criteria for deciding which routes the district will continue when state reimbursement is unavailable. Transportation staff explained the administrative transition should be seamless on the back end because both products are from the same company; family-facing features such as bus arrival tracking and student on/off scans existed previously but were paused and could be reexamined in the future. Board members raised fleet-capacity concerns tied to expanding special-education transportation needs and asked staff to evaluate whether to expand in-house capacity or continue subcontracting services. Staff highlighted that staffing and vehicle availability, not just funding, constrain options. Officials discussed potential mitigation steps: working with the Sycamore Police Department on crossing-guard coverage for routes that do not qualify for IDOT reimbursement, exploring potential pedestrian path easements where new developments or parcels could open route alternatives, and developing criteria for equitable route decisions. Board members also planned a transportation ride-along for October 7 for board members interested in observing operations. The board asked administration to bring a future agenda item with recommended criteria and funding implications for routes that may not qualify for state reimbursement.