Transportation chief cites nonpublic routes and out‑of‑district special‑education runs as main cost drivers

Jessie Lazard, director of transportation, reviewed the transportation department’s proposed budgets and identified the main cost drivers.

Lazard said contract transportation expenses are driven primarily by transporting resident students to nonpublic and Yeshiva schools (four vendors serve approximately 2,700 students) and by out‑of‑district special‑education placements (about 210 students across roughly 50 programs), which require higher‑cost vendor arrangements. She said the district uses cooperative BOCES services for some high‑cost routes.

Lazard presented a breakdown showing field trips, displaced students, athletic trips and nonpublic routes contributing to a contract transportation budget of roughly $14.9 million (a small year‑to‑year increase). She said transportation expenditure codes reflect inflation, tariffs and a new on‑bus nursing service that helps maximize eligible state aid.

Lazard also noted a modest increase in garage/building costs (about $310,000) and overall transportation expenditures projected at about $17.1 million (a roughly 1.54% increase) driven by parts, supplies, tariffs and specialized services.