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Board approves three-year successor contract with Durham School Services to stabilize student transportation
Summary
The Norwalk Board of Education unanimously approved a three-year successor contract with Durham School Services on March 18, citing driver shortages and market volatility; district leaders said the extension provides price stability and supports higher driver pay to improve staffing.
The Norwalk Board of Education voted unanimously on March 18 to authorize a three-year successor contract with Durham School Services to operate district student transportation beginning July 1, when the current five-year contract expires.
District transportation staff said Durham proposed a 5 percent increase for the coming year and committed to that rate before the board considered an extension. Joanna Zameter, the district’s transportation administrator, introduced Durham staff and described operational challenges facing the region, including driver shortages. "These are the people who service our students every single day and make sure that they are getting to school safely and on time," Zameter said, introducing a team that included Durham’s vice president for East Coast operations and local managers.
The district argued a successor contract is preferable to immediately rebidding: staff said market bids in the region have produced increases ranging from roughly 9 percent up to the mid-20s in recent renewals, with one nearby district negotiating a 26 percent increase after a potential 40 percent bid. Officials said a rebid now could produce substantially higher costs and operational disruption. The extension, they said, gives the district predictable rates, lets the contractor amortize newer propane-fuel buses and allows the district and vendor to increase driver pay and terminal staffing to address shortages.
Board members praised Durham’s local work and the visible improvements at the contractor’s facility since the vendor took over. The board approved the three-year successor contract by voice vote; the motion passed unanimously.
Why this matters: Transportation is a major operational cost and driver shortages have produced route delays in some districts. Board members said the negotiated extension seeks continuity, modest cost increases and improved driver recruitment and retention without risking a rebid that staff said could be far costlier.
