Lowell committee presses administration for clarity on transportation contract for homeless students
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Summary
Committee members sought clarification about an amended transportation contract to provide round-trip service for homeless students, raising a roughly $220,000 discrepancy between costs for students attending Lowell schools and students transported to other districts.
Committee members at the Feb. 4 Lowell School Committee meeting pressed district staff to clarify language and costs in a proposed amendment to the district’s transportation contract meant to cover homeless students.
Member Bahu asked for precise wording after reading several line items that appeared to treat two classes of students differently: those who attend Lowell Public Schools and those who live in Lowell but attend schools in other cities. Bahu said the items he reviewed suggested the district would spend about $202,000 on students attending Lowell but roughly $422,000 for transporting students to other districts, a difference he described as “about $220,000.” He asked staff to rewrite the line items so the committee could understand which students would be transported and how the budgeted amount would be affected.
Superintendent Skinner and administrative staff said the district’s obligations are governed by the federal McKinney-Vento law, which protects the school placement choices of homeless students and requires transportation in some cases. Staff explained that new homeless students who enter the district midyear or students who are housed in Lowell but continue to attend schools elsewhere can both generate additional runs for contracted bus providers, increasing the vendor’s caseload and the district’s costs.
Bahu and other members highlighted the size of the district’s busing expense and recent transfers: Bahu cited an approximately $15 million busing contract and noted a $250,000 budget transfer approved that day, arguing the committee needs clearer line-item language to avoid unforeseen overruns.
Administration committed to providing more detailed breakdowns and to clarifying which students would be covered by each line item in the contract amendment. The committee did not take final action on the contract amendment at the meeting; members asked for additional documentation before further votes.
The committee’s requests for clearer contract language and a detailed cost breakdown aim to reconcile McKinney-Vento obligations with the district’s transportation budget and to identify where additional funds may be needed.