Contractors, vendors warn eliminating transportation coordinator would fragment service
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Summary
Contractors and transportation vendors told the board eliminating the recently created transportation coordinator position (estimated savings ~$85,650) would fragment responsibilities across secretaries, raise safety and scheduling risks, and reverse gains in routing and extracurricular coordination; administrators said a prior split model exists but warned service impacts must be assessed.
Vendors and transportation partners urged the Grand Forks School Board Jan. 12 to retain a relatively new transportation coordinator position that the administration listed among budget reduction concepts.
Representatives from Triangle Coach Service and other contractors said the coordinator centralizes district routing, extracurricular scheduling, driver coordination and timely problem resolution. "The work handled by this role does not disappear if the position is eliminated. Instead it becomes fragmented, increasing the likelihood of miscommunication, delays, and safety risks," a contractor representative said.
Administrators explained the position was created about three years ago to consolidate responsibilities that previously were split across building secretaries and offices for general education, special education and activities. Business manager Brandon Bambuck cited a possible reversion to a fragmented model as an option but warned the district would "lose some of that aligned strategy." He confirmed the concept lists an estimated FTE savings of about $85,650.
Board members pressed staff on whether fragmentation would realize the full projected savings and whether vendors could maintain service levels. Administrators said new routing software and vendor relationships would be factors in deciding whether responsibilities could be redistributed without operational degradation. No action was taken; the item will be analyzed further.
