Board debates buying buses after contractor disruptions, authorizes staff review

Rutherford County School Board members spent the meeting’s longest block debating how to respond after multiple contractor-driven changes left a number of bus routes unfilled and special-education (SPED) transportation temporarily disrupted.

Dr. Sullivan, the district’s schools director, told the board the transportation office was seeing roughly a dozen open routes and that staff would run an "all call" to give existing contractors the first opportunity to pick them up. Transportation staff reported 12 routes were open and that contractors would have until 4:30 p.m. the following day to indicate interest, with a random drawing scheduled Monday to assign remaining routes.

Board member Butch moved to authorize the director to pursue purchasing three SPED buses immediately and to investigate buying up to five additional large buses as needed to keep routes covered. "We don't have any choice but to serve transportation, especially to the special ed kids," Butch said, arguing the district must avoid missing Individualized Education Program (IEP) transportation obligations. Several board members, including Mr. Tidwell and Miss Sharp, pressed for more data before any purchase — asking for VIN numbers, warranty comparisons, pricing, funding sources and clarity about whether vehicles would be new or used.

"I would rather come back with the results from the all call," Mr. Tidwell said. He and others urged staff to pursue alternatives such as short-term leases or rentals of buses and to prepare job descriptions in case the district hires drivers directly. Board members also raised concerns about the perception of competing with local contractors and about the potential for bought buses to be used in ways that could reduce contract opportunities for local contractors.

Dr. Sullivan said new large buses would cost about $185,000 each and outlined a timeline in which purchases would move through committee, budget and the county commission — a process that could delay deployment beyond the current school year. Several members recommended a special-called meeting after the board’s retreat so the board could act quickly if the all-call left routes uncovered.

After extended discussion, Butch rescinded the immediate-purchase motion and the board agreed — without a formal roll-call recorded for a purchase motion — to authorize the director and transportation staff to investigate purchasing options, costs, insurance implications, driver recruitment and alternatives (leasing or rentals), then report findings back to the board. The chair said staff were already working on that inquiry and would bring results to a follow-up meeting if needed.

Board members repeatedly emphasized protecting SPED students’ transportation and avoiding abrupt service disruptions for families while also seeking to avoid knee-jerk purchases without full information. "If we get past that all call and still have routes open, I do think we need to be able to move forward and cover those," Dr. Sullivan said. "But we need the quotes, VINs and a funding plan."

What happens next: staff will run the scheduled all call, assemble quotes and pricing, evaluate leasing/rental options and return to the board (potentially at a special-called meeting immediately following the retreat). No purchase contract was signed at the March 5 meeting.

Votes and formal actions recorded during the meeting included several routine approvals (agenda, consent agenda) and approvals of construction requests; the transportation discussion resulted in staff-directed follow-up rather than an immediate procurement.

Clarifying details: transportation staff reported 12 open routes at the time of the meeting; the district discussed acquiring three SPED buses and up to five large buses as one scenario; an estimate of about $185,000 per new large bus was cited by staff; staff also noted routes are geographically spread across district schools and that some existing spare vehicles are in use for work-based learning or midday routes.