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Board reviews transportation RFP; First Student sole bidder proposes five-year contract with higher rates
Summary
District staff recommended awarding a five-year transportation contract to First Student, the only bidder, which proposed a roughly 13% price increase but added services including a tardy bus and Cyclone Academy routes.
The Watertown City School District board reviewed the results of a transportation RFP and discussed awarding a five-year contract to First Student, the only vendor to submit a proposal. District staff said the contract would run through the 2029 school year and would incorporate services the district requested, including a tardy bus to pick up students who miss morning routes, activity and summer-school coverage, Cyclone Academy transportation and health-shuttle service.
Brian, First Student’s local representative, and Kara, the district transportation coordinator, joined the meeting to answer questions. Kara said the company scored well on the district’s rubric (First Student’s rubric scores ranged in the 85–88 range; the state threshold is 65). Ben and district staff noted the proposed contract reflects a roughly 13% increase from the last five-year agreement, driven in part by the company’s consumer-price-index pricing and increased operating costs.
Board members pressed about fleet life and electrification. Brian said the new buses purchased under the proposed contract would be diesel and that the district would be “grandfathered” with brand-new diesel vehicles until state electrification requirements kick in for later model years; he added First Student is a national leader in bus electrification and would help the district access grants and plan infrastructure when replacement becomes necessary.
The board also asked about driver screening and safety: First Student representatives said driver hiring includes federal- and state-level background checks and random drug testing; the company reported random testing frequencies and noted testing is performed through certified vendors, with some local providers (including pharmacies) used for sample collection.
District administrators recommended including the contract award on the Feb. 4 board agenda for formal action and said the five-year term provides predictability for budgeting and aid estimation. Board members asked about service hours for late buses and athletics; transportation staff said activity scheduling is coordinated with the athletics office and that the district added late elementary routes this year.
