Board OKs 2025–26 school bus contractor and spare-bus agreements

On July 30 the Saint Mary's County Board of Education approved contracts with school bus contractors for the 2025–26 school year, including regular-route and spare-bus agreements. The board’s motion to approve the agreements passed after a brief staff presentation and no substantive public or board debate. The contracts cover 41 school bus contractors operating 164 regular-route school buses, 29 special-needs route buses and 48 spare buses; the procurement also includes 12 replacement school buses and 21 six-year contract renewals, staff said. Staff described the payment formula used in the contract, including a per-vehicle allotment that uses the prime rate (recently reported at 8%), and noted bus prices rose about 5 percent. Hourly payments in the formula include a driver base rate of $30.10 (which incorporates a 26.5% fixed-cost component), a tenant rate of $24.47 (also with the 26.5% fixed-cost component), and a maintenance rate increase of $0.03 per mile. The formula also includes a $5,000 annual retention payment per bus and an operations payment increase of $140 per bus; stipend payments were unchanged. Board members moved and seconded the contract approval and the chair called the question; the motion carried. Staff recommended the board approve both regular contractor agreements and spare-bus agreements as presented. The superintendent’s office noted staff will monitor future cost pressures, including potential Environmental Protection Agency electric-vehicle mandates and possible steel tariffs, and bring information forward as needed. The board did not discuss changes to routes or student-ride assignments at this meeting; those operational matters were not part of the purchasing approval.