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District previews Bus Planner Suite — $180,000 capital install, parent tracking app among five modules
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Summary
Transportation staff presented five add‑on modules to the district’s bus contract, including GPS/fleet management, student ridership management, a parent app called 'Chipmunk,' dispatch tools and turn‑by‑turn navigation; installation is listed as a one‑time $180,000 capital cost with annual subscription fees.
The district's school leadership introduced an expansion to its transportation contract — a five‑module Bus Planner Suite designed to consolidate GPS/fleet tracking, confirm student ridership, give parents real‑time bus tracking, provide dispatch tools for incidents, and add turn‑by‑turn navigation for drivers.
Krista Foley presented the proposal, saying the district would "bridge" separate systems into one vendor and that the parent communication piece would allow families to "know exactly where their student is and see an estimated time of arrival." Foley described the five modules as GPS plus fleet management; student ridership management (no RFID chip required — QR or phone possible); a parent app ("Chipmunk"); a dispatch system for real‑time coordination; and a turn navigation module for drivers.
Finance questions followed: staff said the one‑time capital installation cost listed in board materials is $180,000 and that ongoing annual subscription fees apply. Mr. Green said the $180,000 is covered as a capital cost from roll‑forward innovation funds and that replacing the district's current Zonear GPS system will offset part of the ongoing operating cost.
Board members asked about automatic renewal terms and price escalators; one member urged negotiating the proposed 5% annual renewal. Staff said they will seek better renewal language prior to the board business meeting and clarified the solution supports multiple student ID methods (RFID, barcode, QR) to reduce costs for student IDs.
Next steps: staff will bring the contract addendum and negotiated terms to the next board business meeting for formal approval; no action was taken at the workshop.
