Business manager details transportation software, facilities MOU and two capital requests for FY26

Amanda Kuchar, the Auburn Public Schools business manager, reviewed cost centers 6 through 10 of the FY26 operating budget at the March 19 School Committee meeting, highlighting staffing cost increases, a planned transportation routing app, changes to the shared services MOU with the city and two capital improvement requests.

Kuchar told the committee the budget includes a 3% increase “for all staff that are not in the collective bargaining agreement.” She said a major software transition from a prior purchase is winding down; a previous $187,000 purchase is largely complete, which reduces that line for FY26. Kuchar said the district has preserved a remaining amount in the budget because the new system will go live July 1 and some post‑go‑live work remains.

On transportation, Kuchar described the district’s planned purchase of BusRade (also referenced in discussion as BusRite/Bus Right in hearing), a routing and bus‑run app that will let parents see estimated stop times and allow staff to create more efficient runs. Kuchar said the Department of Education previously encouraged use of a single vendor but has moved to a reimbursement model; the district expects state reimbursement through the ED279 process but cautioned that the ED279 adjustments were a recent change.

Committee members asked about bus driver vacancies. Kuchar said the district had budgeted for all runs and positions and that it had seven openings on the books, with four drivers currently in training. She noted it can take about two months to fully train a new driver; in the interim, new hires frequently work as van drivers.

Kuchar also summarized cost‑center 9, the facilities/maintenance MOU with the city. The total budget with the city is roughly $4.1 million for the next fiscal year; the MOU increase includes new shared salary commitments. Kuchar said the facilities operations coordinator is now billed 50% to the school department and is based at the high school full time to coordinate geothermal and boiler work.

For capital requests, Kuchar described two projects proposed for the FY26 capital improvement bond: a ventilation upgrade at East Auburn Community School and a cold storage building for field and maintenance equipment at Edward Little High School. She said the district had hoped to fund the East Auburn ventilation project via an SRRF loan but did not qualify under new state rules, so it is being requested in the FY26 CIP bond and — if approved — would be addressed in summer 2026. Kuchar said the storage building request is a roughly $200,000, bare‑bones structure to store tractors and field‑maintenance equipment on campus and noted the district already has concrete and building quotes.

On debt service and state subsidy, Kuchar explained that FY26 includes the final local payment on a Park Avenue bond that will be paid off in FY26 and that the ED279 is the state subsidy formula the Department of Education uses to calculate state aid. She said local‑share items (for example, seating or other add‑ons voters chose to fund) remain the responsibility of taxpayers.

The committee discussed the projects but did not vote on the proposed FY26 capital bond request during the March 19 meeting; Kuchar said additional revenue detail on ED279 will be presented at a later meeting.