Coventry staff present statewide transportation review option; outside routing analysis priced at $11,540

District staff presented a detailed overview of statewide and local school-transportation trends, framed potential savings opportunities and recommended consideration of a third-party route verification study priced at $11,540.

Why it matters: Transportation is a major and growing line item across Rhode Island school districts while enrollment has declined statewide. The presentation explained how ‘statewide’ transportation, depot stops and so-called “ghost riders” (students who register for a bus but do not ride) affect routing efficiency and cost. Staff recommended an independent routing review to identify potential in-district and interdistrict savings; the committee deferred any vote and asked for the item to return to a future meeting for action.

Key points from staff: Staff said Rhode Island’s statewide routing system has grown more expensive even as student enrollment fell about 15% statewide since 2004. They said some local runs can be cheaper to operate in-district with district vehicles, while other runs are better handled by statewide buses. Staff highlighted a recent example in which Coventry shifted Hendricken private-school transportation onto the statewide system and estimated that move saved roughly $80,000 annually by eliminating a dedicated local bus.

Third-party route verification: The statewide program vendor offered an 11,540-dollar analysis (to be charged as monthly additions to the district’s statewide billing rather than a single upfront invoice) to study Coventry’s routing for potential savings. Staff said the analysis could include both in-district and statewide routing and emphasized that results are uncertain — recommendations could yield significant savings or few changes. Committee members asked whether the proposed study would fix a state-level problem and whether it would cover statewide and local routes; staff replied that the study would analyze Coventry’s use of statewide services as well as in-district routes.

Outcome: The committee did not vote on the $11,540 routing study at this meeting. Staff said the district could place the item on a future agenda for a vote and noted there is no immediate deadline to sign up.

Ending: The committee asked staff to return the item with any additional details about the study’s scope and timing for a future vote.