Brockton superintendent outlines transportation audit findings and short-term cost controls; district spent about $11 million so far this year

Superintendent Dr. Tilghani gave the School Committee’s safety, security and transportation subcommittee a detailed progress update on March 11, describing audit findings, short-term fixes and planned bids intended to reduce transportation costs and improve safety oversight.

The superintendent said the district is currently transporting 839 students to neighboring schools (including New Heights, Trinity, Norfolk and Bristol Aggie, and Cardinal Spellman), has 1,593 students receiving door-to-door transportation (up 332 since November), 76 out-of-district transport students (up 1), and 430 students covered under the McKinney-Vento definition of homelessness (up 11). She also said 8,596 students use the district’s yellow buses. The district has spent about $11,000,000 on transportation to date and shows approximately $10.8–11.0 million against a revised $16,000,000 budget that includes a recent $6,000,000 city appropriation.

The superintendent said a review of 253 vendor files found only 90 (now 91) active vendors that had executed letters of agreement, rates and certificates of insurance uploaded into Munis; the district is updating expiring insurance certificates…