Board approves $4,000 per-bus stipend, orders county RFP for contractor insurance and sets parent-responsibility zones

The Rutherford County School Board voted April 24 to provide a one-time $4,000 stipend for each contracted school bus, direct county risk-management to issue a request for proposals (RFP) to seek liability coverage for bus contractors, and adopt parent-responsibility zones that make families responsible for transportation within specified walking distances.

The board approved the stipend and related contract changes unanimously, then voted to ask the county insurance committee to issue an RFP to cover contractors. Board members also approved a contingency the board described as a mechanism to prorate and split any future savings if the county later secures insurance for contractors at a lower total cost: if county-provided coverage becomes available and is cheaper than the stipend approach, the stipend would end and the savings would be split 50/50 between the school system and the contractors.

Director of Schools Doctor Sullivan and board counsel Jeff Reid framed the choice as time-sensitive. Reid said the district’s current policy expires June 30…