Proviso 209 staff recommend extending First Student bus contract while requiring on-time guarantees, discounts and new ridership tracking

Proviso Township High Schools District 209 staff presented a proposal to extend the optional fourth and fifth years of a five-year transportation contract with First Student, asking the board of education committee of the whole to discuss service guarantees, discount terms and improved ridership tracking.

The district said First Student currently charges $228.75 per AM route for Proviso East, Proviso West and Madison Academy runs and has proposed a 3.5% increase. Presentation materials shown to the committee listed a $239.94 per-route charge for 2025–26 in a column labeled “7 routes or less” and an adjusted per-route figure of $236.76 for networks with more than seven routes; 2026–27 rates in the packet were shown as roughly $248.00 (≤7 routes) or about $245.00 (>7 routes). District staff said Proviso operates far more than seven routes: 19 routes at Proviso West, 16 at Proviso East and eight at Madison Academy as presented to the board.

Why it matters: Transportation is a major operating cost for the district and school start times and activity routes directly affect student access and participation. Board…