The RSU 60 board devoted substantial time to transportation on multiple agenda items, receiving a detailed update from the transportation director and discussing potential short- and long-term responses to driver and monitor shortages.

"Right now, we currently have...28 buses, 28 drivers. We are budgeted for 31–35 drivers," the transportation director reported, explaining that one driver is on medical leave, another plans to retire in mid-December and a third will finish employment in mid-November. The district also reported three posted monitor positions and eight monitors currently assigned to runs, six of which service students with individualized education plans (IEPs).

Board members and the director described recruitment challenges, including a high number of applicants who later do not follow through on interviews. The district said it has increased advertising and conducted intensive interview days, but no-shows and staffing churn remain barriers. The meeting noted the district has used charter services more sparingly than last year (23 charters this year versus 67 last fall, per the presentation) to cover athletic and late-evening runs.

Members discussed possible administrative fixes. The board asked whether budgeted savings from unfilled positions could cover an assistant transportation director who also held a commercial driverlicense (CDL) and could drive when needed; staff responded that the position was budgeted but not yet filled and that a hybrid role was envisioned. Board members also proposed temporary administrative reassignments to reduce the transportation directors current work hours and suggested exploring recruitment incentives and community outreach.

The board and staff discussed seat-belt policies and pre-K safety. Staff said only bus monitors may secure seat belts for young children, and that many buses with belts have not yet been configured for routine use because the district cannot staff monitors on every route. Possible solutions discussed included purchasing smaller buses configured for harnesses and creating funded monitor positions for pre-K runs; board members suggested charging a pre-K transportation fee to offset monitor costs as one option among several.

Union and contractual constraints were a recurring theme. Board members and staff described a recent meeting with union representatives to develop ways of covering runs during high call-out periods without violating the terms of the collective bargaining agreement. "It's really about keeping the point or things like...making people whole if they were stepping into something that was a real need," a union representative said.

Several board members asked whether the board could view student-related bus footage in executive session; staff noted parental permission would be required. No formal motions altering transportation funding or policy were approved during the meeting; board members directed staff to continue recruitment efforts and to return with options for administrative support and interim solutions.