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Committee backs exploring parent bus‑tracking app; staff to return with costs and funding plan
Summary
Waunakee budget committee authorized staff to obtain quotes and a reallocation strategy to fund a parent bus‑tracking app (bus GPS only), with staff recommending a scaled rollout before the district’s next transportation RFP.
The Waunakee Community School District Budget Committee on March 5 directed staff to pursue quotes and a funding/reallocation plan for a parent bus‑tracking app that shows bus locations, and to return with vendor names and cost estimates for board consideration.
Staff described a scaled approach that would connect existing bus GPS devices to a parent app (similar to delivery or ride‑share tracking) without adding student-level scans or requiring iPads on buses. “All buses have a GPS device in them, and they have for a while,” Steve (Staff member) said when describing the scaled option. The app would let parents see a bus’s approximate location and delays but would not include student-scanning functionality in the scaled version.
Administrators said the app would be purchased and run by the district and that staff would identify savings (for example, reducing other technology subscriptions) to fund the app rather than request additional budget. Several committee members and Dr. Brown (Staff member) supported piloting the scaled app, noting it tends to reduce parent concern and improve communications in districts that have deployed it. “When you order an Uber, you can see on your phone how close or how far away the car is… it was really helpful,” Dr. Brown said of her prior district’s experience.
The committee did not commit to immediate purchase or to the full suite of transportation safety upgrades (for example, higher‑resolution cameras and student‑scan iPad systems); staff said the full slate would be included in the next RFP when the bus contract is rebid, and the scaled parent‑app option is an interim, lower‑cost improvement. Staff will return with a vendor quote, recommended funding reallocation, and a proposed scope for board review prior to any purchase.
No formal roll‑call vote was recorded on the direction; the committee expressed consensus to develop options and bring detailed proposals back to the board.
