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RSU 22 raises concerns about driver shortages and contract payments with SEER Bus
Summary
District staff and committee members discussed driver shortages under the multi-year SEER Bus contract, concerns that the district has been charged for buses not delivered, and ongoing talks with the contractor to resolve service and billing issues.
School committee members and district staff discussed student transportation, including a multi-year contract with SEER Bus, a shortage of drivers that has left some routes under-served, and budget-line questions about contracted cost versus service delivered.
Nick (staff member) and other presenters said the district's contract calls for 28 buses; the contract sets a per-bus price and the district pays the contracted amount even when a bus cannot be run because of a driver shortage. Board members said they are concerned that the district has been charged for buses not actually in service and asked whether the budget should reflect that operational reality. Nick said the district is in active discussions with SEER Bus about the issue and confirmed the district is seeking clarification or possible contract adjustments.
Committee members and staff discussed specific transportation components: the cost of the base contract (which is predetermined in the debt/contract article), the district's separate fuel procurement process (staff lock in diesel prices during summer months when prices are often lower), and margins for field trips and co-curricular transportation (those costs appear in a different article/line item). The committee also heard that some transportation for tuition and out-of-district special education students is arranged through AOS 47 and Glenburn agreements (AOS 47 provides a flat-fee bus for some routes; Glenburn has a staff member and a parent who provide daily van transport and receive mileage or stipend reimbursements).
Members asked about rising out-of-district special education transportation costs; staff said some out-of-district transport can be covered by local entitlement (special education grant) and that coding of invoices between lines may explain apparent overspending in one line while combined lines align with budget expectations. Staff agreed to investigate coding and return with clarified actuals.
The committee discussed tuition students (staff said there are about 61 tuition students) and noted that transporting those students can be a net revenue source for the district because the tuition payment effectively exceeds the district's transportation cost for some routes.
No formal change to the contract or budget was made at the meeting; staff said they are negotiating with the contractor and will bring back details on actuals, contract enforcement options and any recommended budget adjustments.
