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Board approves short-term First Student management contract amid driver safety and cost concerns
Summary
After extended public comment from drivers, parents and teachers, the Little Miami Local Board approved a short-term management contract with First Student to assist the transportation office while the district pursues permanent hires and an internal audit. Critics urged hiring from within and warned of safety, continuity and cost risks.
The Little Miami Local Board of Education voted to approve a short-term management contract with First Student to provide transportation office support while the district recruits a permanent director and studies operational changes.
The contract — described in board materials as a management engagement rather than driver staffing — drew extended public comment at the March 25 meeting from bus drivers, parents and school staff who said outsourcing the role would undermine local knowledge and student safety.
"We pride ourselves in maintaining a high level of integrity and safety as bus drivers. First Student's history does not indicate similar priorities," said Vicky Gregor, a Little Miami bus driver and district employee, during public comment. Gregor said the district would be spending the funds better by hiring additional drivers.
Several drivers and aides described specific concerns for students with special needs and said bringing in an out‑of‑district manager and staff would disrupt trusting relationships between drivers and children. "If they come in as temporary and they end up wanting to stay, I'm going to be completely honest — you're probably going to lose half of your fleet," said Miranda Shatzer, a transportation employee.
Board members said the contract is intended as a short-term audit and stabilization measure while the district runs hiring events and considers retention incentives. "This bus situation's been going on since the beginning of the school year… we need more bus drivers," Chair (speaker 1) said, adding the district would retain termination rights and seek a handoff to a permanent director if applicants surface.
Administrators clarified aspects of the cost during discussion. Public commenters referenced a three‑month figure of roughly $57,000 and questioned whether that was a lump-sum cost. District staff explained the engagement is structured around an hourly management rate (discussed in the meeting as approximately $120/hour) with a termination provision allowing the district to end the contract with notice.
The motion to approve the First Student management contract passed on a roll-call vote. At the meeting the chair said the contract can be terminated under the contract's notice period and will be reviewed again at the next board meeting.
The district also approved other related items that evening, including a separate contract with the Warren County Educational Service Center for special education placement services; those items passed with separate motions.
What happens next: Board members said they will pursue parallel steps — hiring events, retention incentives and an operational review — while monitoring whether the contractor delivers promised improvements. The First Student engagement is intended as a stopgap with the expectation of a follow-up report to the board.
