Supervisors defer vote on school‑bus rates after board questions 72% hike; Parks and Rec seeks time to negotiate with schools

The Prince William County Board of Supervisors on March 18 deferred consideration of an agreement with Prince William County Public Schools that would set hourly and mileage charges for county agencies’ use of school buses, after several supervisors pressed for explanations of steep price increases.

Parks and Recreation Director Seth Hendler Voss told the board the service is used year‑round but particularly for summer camps, and that the school division supplied the rates rather than Parks negotiating them. The staff report presented the new school‑division charge of $55 per hour and $2.50 per mile for use of school buses; supervisors said the package represented a roughly 72% increase in the hourly fee and a 66% rise in the mileage charge compared with the prior contract.

Several supervisors said they were unwilling to approve the increases without a clearer explanation from the schools of how the rates were calculated. Supervisor Weir proposed deferring the item and asked Parks and Recreation to attempt negotiations with the schools and to return with a comparison between the school division rates and private charter alternatives. Parks staff said chartering private carriers would likely be more expensive but had not developed competitive bids.

Supervisor Weir moved to defer the item to a date certain of April 8, 2025 (after discussion about scheduling the earliest feasible board meeting), which the board approved. The motion carried 5‑2; the record shows Supervisors Angry and Franklin voted no and Supervisor Bailey abstained from both votes. A county staff member noted the item is time‑sensitive because the county needs to work out transportation for summer programming before June.

Board discussion flagged two additional contract terms that drew concern: the size of the rate increases and a new clause requiring the county to provide insurance for bus use, which supervisors said had not clearly been part of prior agreements and could create unbudgeted cost exposure. Parks staff said they had received only a general explanation attributing the increases to “escalation” and had not negotiated the rates before bringing them to the board.

Supervisors asked Parks staff to open negotiations with the school division, to seek a clearer cost justification for the proposed increases, and to examine the likely cost differential for a private charter alternative. The board set a new target date of April 8, 2025 for the issue to return to the dais.

The item was removed from the consent vote and deferred rather than approved; staff said they would report back to the board after meeting with the school division.