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School committee approves one-year extension with First Student for pupil transportation
Summary
The Plymouth School Committee unanimously approved the second one-year option on the district’s First Student bus contract for fiscal 2026, raising the daily per-bus rate to $499.83 and directing staff to study long-range options including bidding or district-owned buses.
The Plymouth School Committee voted unanimously on Feb. 10 to exercise the contract’s second one-year option with First Student for pupil transportation for fiscal 2026.
Doctor Matthew Blaisdell, chief financial officer for the district, said the extension would raise the daily per-bus rate from $486.45 to $499.83, an increase of 2.75 percent for FY 2026. Blaisdell told the committee that increase is substantially lower than recent averages reported by neighboring districts and that the district remains under $500 per bus per day.
"If you're under $500 you're doing pretty good," Blaisdell said, summarizing a consultant’s perspective. He said the district is concurrently commissioning a study to determine whether the next contract cycle should be put out to bid or whether owning and operating district buses makes sense long term. He noted that new buses can have delivery lead times of about a year if the district pursues vehicle purchases.
Committee members asked about planning for possible larger increases in later years. Blaisdell said staff and a consulting firm will survey other districts, analyze contract terms and prepare budget projections for the FY 2027 cycle; he said the FY 2026 budget includes the higher rate.
The committee voted to approve the one-year extension. Motion and roll-call details were recorded in meeting minutes; the decision was unanimous.
The contract action was procedural and approves an existing supplier option; staff said they will return with results from the transportation study and with budget forecasting ahead of the next contract decision.
