District previews Memorandum of Agreement with Vision for student bus tracking; vote planned for July

Elk River School District administrators presented a memorandum of agreement (MOU) with Vision Transportation that would add Wayfinder routing and student on/off tracking to the district's existing transportation platform. The board did not vote; the administration intends to return with the contract for action at the July 14 meeting.

Kim Eisenchek, Business Services director, said the MOU would add a parent-facing feature that allows parents to see when students board and leave buses and would provide turn-by-turn GPS navigation for drivers. The system would also support tracking during field trips and athletic events and provide a rostered record of which students were on vehicles for preparedness, Eisenchek said.

Eisenchek told the board that Vision is asking for a two-year extension to the district's current contract so the vendor can amortize the infrastructure cost of tablets, cellular service and other equipment needed to deploy the system. Director Isaac Ching asked for clarification on ownership and costs; Eisenchek said the district would have the software at the end of the contract period and Vision would purchase the equipment and initially cover cellular costs. The district also plans to include the Wayfinder requirement in the next RFP for routing technology.

Board members asked about timing, parent notifications for delayed buses, and budget impacts. Eisenchek said the vendor anticipates lead times that might prevent the system's availability for the immediate start of school but that the district budgeted related costs for 2026-27. The administration will return with a formal contract in July for board action.

No formal action was taken at this meeting; the MOU was presented for initial consideration and will be on the July agenda.