Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the School Transportation topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Akron board sends van transportation RFQ back to contracts committee amid questions about timing and oversight
Summary
Board members debated the timeline and oversight for a request to re‑bid van transportation services; Member Amber Molnar asked that the matter be reviewed by the Contracts Committee and the board voted 7–0 to send it there.
The Akron Board of Education voted unanimously to refer the district's pending van transportation RFQ to the Contracts Committee after members raised questions about timing, scoring safeguards and whether individual drivers or companies should supply services.
The referral followed a lengthy discussion about how the district should structure vendor relationships for special-needs and routed van service for the 2025-26 school year. Superintendent Dr. Gerard Robinson told the board the RFQ work is ready and would be posted "probably this next month... March," and staff said the RFQ would be open 30 days.
The debate centered on whether the district should prioritize independent contracted van drivers or require a corporate structure for the larger contracts. Member Amber Molnar said she wanted committee review of the procurement process and safeguards, calling for committee oversight before the RFQ goes forward: "I would request that this conversation be moved to the Contracts Committee." Several board members expressed concern about repeating earlier problems with selection and pay parity between independent drivers and companies.
District staff said the current approach this year combined independent drivers and a support company (Templeton), and that combination successfully covered routes. Transportation leadership told the board there are currently "approximately 100 and 20 independent contracted operators" serving students and that every driver and vendor contract ends June 30.
The board moved and seconded a referral to the Contracts Committee; the motion passed on roll call, 7–0. Board members who voted yes included President Amelia Jackson, Vice President Robert Alexander, Member Amber Molnar, Member Hall, Member Autry, Member Sykes and Reverend Harrison.
The board and staff also discussed committee sequencing: several members recommended that the Contracts Committee and, where relevant, the Equity Committee examine vendor scoring, insurance and the district's process for assigning trips to independent drivers before contracting.
Staff told the board they expect the RFQ to allow for a mixture of independent drivers and contracted vendors depending on the responses and the district's operational needs; they said a recommendation to the board would follow the usual procurement and committee review timeline.
Board direction: the board referred the RFQ to the Contracts Committee for more detailed review of procurement safeguards and scoring before a final recommendation returns to the full board.
