Cumberland panel approves transportation review resolution and adopts amended E-2 bus policy

The Cumberland School Committee on July 17 voted 6-0 to approve a resolution asking for a transportation review by the state and to adopt an amended E-2 transportation policy governing bus stops, video equipment on buses and limits on stop changes.

The resolution (SC PR-07-2025-86) follows a 50-minute presentation by Mario Carreno, chief operating officer for the Rhode Island Department of Education (RIDE), who described what he called large, avoidable inefficiencies in statewide school transportation and outlined a three-phase effort to reduce costs. Carreno said Cumberland has kept local transportation costs comparatively low but that opportunities remain, especially by "filling empty seats on state wide buses."

Carreno told the committee the statewide landscape shows a 15% decline in public-school enrollment over 20 years while transportation expenses have risen sharply; he said costs are up 61% in the last eight years and 20% in the last three. "You're actually only up 6%," Carreno said of Cumberland's local trend, praising the district for remaining well below the statewide average. He urged districts to share routing data with RIDE so the state can identify empty seats and reassign students to existing statewide routes at no added cost to the state fleet.

Why it matters: Carreno said the state already pays 100% of the cost to transport private-school students who are included on statewide routes and encouraged Cumberland to participate; the committee confirmed Cumberland will opt into state-provided service for Mount Saint Charles students next fiscal year. He also emphasized that certain categories of transportation (out-of-district special education, foster care and homeless students) are federal obligations and not amenable to cost-based routing changes.

Details from the presentation: Carreno described three phases of work. Phase 1, already under way, seeks to reduce so-called "ghost riders"—students who sign up for state transportation but do not ride—by asking districts to verify rosters when RIDE circulates them. Phase 2 is an independent route review (Carreno said the state has bulk-procured a vendor rate and that the vendor's review "costs about $13,000"). Phase 3 would examine interdistrict routing and potential regional cooperation or consolidation to capture larger-scale savings. Carreno said the initiative has already yielded immediate changes elsewhere (for example, consolidating Coventry routes) and that RIDE "is confident we will find millions of dollars of savings" to pass back to participating districts.

Committee members pressed Carreno on practical matters such as re-enrollment options for families who opt out of service, vehicle sizes and how smaller or larger vans might affect per-route cost. Dr. Thornton, the superintendent, asked whether families who opt out could opt back in; Carreno replied that parents generally can re-enroll later and that vendors can sometimes use smaller vehicles for routes that carry fewer students. Committee member Mr. Dean asked about alternatives such as taxi or ride-hail services for certain routes; Carreno said some states use that approach but changing to that model in Rhode Island would likely require state-law changes.

Policy action: The committee approved an amended E-2 transportation policy (motion by Miss Smith; second by Ms. Goldstein) that clarifies that kindergarten students must be met at the bus, specifies that each student is assigned a single bus stop tied to the home address, and adds language about video equipment on buses. The motion passed 6-0.

Outcome on the resolution: The committee approved resolution SC PR-07-2025-86 (motion by Mr. Bacon; second by Miss Smith) by a 6-0 vote. Carreno told the committee Cumberland was among 20 districts that had already supplied routing data to RIDE for the Phase 1 analysis.

The committee said it would consider the independent route review as an option; Carreno said the vendor would meet districts on-site, ride buses and return written findings that districts could use in redistricting or service-planning discussions. He described the state's incentive structure for regionalization (a state subsidy that would cover a portion of costs if districts formally consolidate), but he emphasized that the current effort does not require regionalization to proceed.

The presentation and votes came amid fiscal concerns. Earlier in the meeting the fiscal subcommittee had warned that uncertainty over incoming federal funds could create a potential $400,000 shortfall for the district.

The transportation review resolution and the revised E-2 policy will affect routing and vendor discussions for the 2025–26 school year; RIDE indicated it would issue a full report to districts by winter with recommendations for changes that could be phased into the following school year.