East Ramapo board hears consultant: systemic transportation failures, three-phase fix proposed

An interim report from Amman Consulting Group concluded that East Ramapo Central School District's transportation failures were driven by "systemic and operational misalignments, not just the delayed readiness of the new routing software," Assistant Superintendent for Business Eric Stark told the board.

Stark summarized the consultants' findings and the district's recommended path forward: short-term stabilization through January 2026; medium-term steps from January through August 2026 to appoint permanent leadership and reestablish the annual contracting and routing cycle; and a three-year redesign of data-management, staffing and oversight to produce sustainable performance monitoring.

"The district currently lacks adequate oversight, transparency, and control over the 35 plus contractors transporting approximately 25,000 public schools non public school students," Stark said, and he warned the board that the district remains "at high risk of recurring transportation failures unless systemic issues, particularly around accountability, data integrity, and leadership structure are urgently and comprehensively addressed."

When board members pressed for immediate status, Stark said "99 plus percent of our students have the bussing that they need now," while acknowledging "occasional issues" on some routes and that the district planned to add buses at specific nonpublic sites to alleviate late runs. He said the consultants have been working on-site with staff and that the district is using consultant support daily to stabilize routing and operations while the transportation committee reviews any major changes.

Board members asked that the consultant memo and follow-up materials be shared with the board; the administration said it would email the full memos and provide a committee briefing. The district also said it is contacting the state education agency to clarify regulatory requirements for data collection and will align any revised data processes to those regulations.

The administration plans a more detailed update at the next facilities and transportation committee meeting and to make the consultant's full written memos available to the board before that session.