Board approves year-three transportation contract and moves ahead with bus purchases

Berkeley County school board members voted on Aug. 4 to continue a third-party transportation contract for an additional year and to purchase replacement buses funded through state replacement dollars.

Board members approved a one-year extension (year three) of the district's contract with Varsity Travel / River Riders for outsourced transportation services, with staff citing an anticipated contract ceiling of $5,000,000 for planning purposes. District staff described the extension as part of an ongoing approach to manage special-education and McKinney-Vento transportation needs while pursuing route consolidation and other efficiency measures to reduce third-party expenses. Board members asked about hourly billing, contract terms, and how in-district consolidation and special-education routing could reduce reliance on third-party vendors.

Staff said the district has been working to optimize routes, move some special-education services into zoned "hub" classrooms, and train routing personnel on route-optimization tools. Staff indicated transportation costs for the prior year exceeded $6.5 million and said the goal is to bring expenses down. The board voted to approve the third-year option; a roll-call by name was not recorded in the transcript of the motion and second.

Separately, the board approved a letter of intent to purchase 11 general-education buses and three special-education buses under the state replacement funding program, with an estimated purchase total of $2,099,679. Presenters said the new buses include air conditioning and that the district will retire older vehicles as replacement buses arrive.

Board discussion noted the district is pursuing multiple strategies -- consolidating routes, adding zoned special-education classrooms and training routing staff -- to reduce outsourcing over time. Staff said any contract overruns would be brought back to the board for further action.