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District recommends five-year bus contract with First Student and phased rider fee increases
Summary
Superintendent and transportation staff presented two First Student contract quotes (three‑ and five‑year) and recommended the five‑year option; staff proposed phased increases for paid riders (from $160 now to $250/$350/$400 over three years) and estimated $23,250 additional revenue based on current paid riders (93).
District transportation staff presented an executive summary on current rider fees and two quotes from First Student, recommending a five‑year contract and proposing phased increases to the district’s paid rider fees.
Staff said the current annual per‑rider fee is $160 (billed across a 10‑month cycle as $16/month), with roughly 514 morning riders and 534 afternoon riders reported (special-education riders are counted separately). The district currently has about 93 paid riders; staff said that equals about 18% of students paying to ride. Staff presented two contract scenarios for 13 routes: a three‑year proposal with annual cost of $773,590 (about $5,951 per route per month) and a five‑year proposal with annual cost of $632,380 (about $5,633 per route per month). The recommendation at the meeting was to accept the five‑year price because it yields district savings over the three‑year option.
To offset higher contractor costs and the district’s decision not to fully recover route costs from riders, staff proposed phased per‑rider fee increases: school year 2025–26, $250 annual for the first rider ($25/month) and $125 for each additional rider ($12.50/month); 2026–27, $350/$175; 2027–28, $400/$200. Staff estimated those increases would generate about $23,250 in additional revenue next year using the current count of 93 paid riders. Staff also noted route costs of roughly $56,336 per year (about $5,634 per month) and said the contractor’s quote includes two new 77‑passenger buses per year over the contract term.
Staff noted the district’s current practice of waiving paid‑ride fees for families who qualify for free- or reduced‑price lunch and said special‑education transportation is provided if specified in a student’s Individualized Education Program (IEP). Board members raised practical concerns about hubs vs. door‑to‑door service, impacts on working parents, daycare pickup logistics and the share of other districts that either charge or do not charge for in‑town busing. Staff said they would return with more comparative data and that approval of a contract and any fee changes is targeted for the April board meeting to allow handbook and registration changes ahead of next school year.
No final contract or rider‑fee decision was made at the committee meeting; staff recommended the five‑year quote and the proposed phased fee schedule for board consideration.
