District to negotiate specialized-transportation contracts; board hears complaints about bus communications and para staffing reconcilation

(Note: This article covers three connected operational items discussed during the March 10 Manchester School Committee meeting: specialized-transportation contract negotiations, recent bus-route communication problems, and the district's reconciliation of paraprofessional position records.)

The board approved a consent agenda item that clears the way for the district to begin negotiating contracts for specialized transportation services stemming from an awarded RFP. Deputy/Director of Operations Ransdell said the district will "begin negotiating those contracts as soon as tomorrow" and expects the specialized transportation services to start in the fall.

At the meeting board members raised complaints about recent bus-route changes and communication lapses that left some families unsure whether buses would arrive. Ransdell said the district conducted its annual midyear review of routes and acknowledged communication breakdowns during the first year the district is…