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Board signs temporary outsourcing agreements to address bus driver shortage; High Roads route contracted at $57,100 per month
Summary
Marion City Schools approved three MOUs enabling the district to contract transportation services for specific routes and extended the field‑trip bidding window; the board also approved a Jan.–June 2025 contract with Ohio Specialty Services to run the High Roads student route at about $57,100 per month.
The Marion City Schools Board on Dec. 16 approved three memoranda of understanding that allow the district to contract student transportation for specific routes and approved a temporary contract to outsource one High Roads route to an external vendor.
Superintendent Jeff Murphy described the three MOUs as short‑term responses to a statewide shortage of bus drivers. The MOUs—each effective Jan. 1, 2025, through June 30, 2025—authorize the district to contract out transportation for: the High Roads school route; a van route for students attending the Columbus School for the Blind; and a procedural change allowing the district to post field‑trip transportation bids two weeks in advance (instead of one) so the district has more time to secure drivers and, if necessary, contract vendors for trips.
After the MOUs passed, the board approved a contract with Ohio Specialty Services to operate the High Roads bus route for a prorated monthly cost of $57,100. Superintendent Murphy said the cost is higher than internal costs but that, "because we have a shortage," contracting is required to ensure student transportation. The contract runs from January through June 2025; the superintendent said the district will revisit the arrangements in June as it plans for the next school year.
Board members thanked the Ohio Public Charter (OPC) collaboration for helping secure the agreements and asked staff to continue efforts to recruit drivers. Each MOU and the contracting motion passed on roll calls recorded during the meeting.
Why it matters: Board members characterized the measures as necessary to keep students transported to school and to specialized programs (for example, Columbus School for the Blind) while the district continues to recruit drivers and assess long‑term solutions.
Clarifying details: the MOUs' term is Jan. 1–June 30, 2025; the field‑trip MOU permits a two‑week bidding window to identify drivers before contracting; Ohio Specialty Services contract price for the High Roads route was presented as $57,100 per month (prorated for holidays/professional development days).
Votes and formal actions related to these transportation items were recorded by roll call during the Dec. 16 meeting.
