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Fredonia superintendent reports attendance gains as board weighs bus options
Summary
At the May 19 Fredonia Central School District Board meeting, Superintendent Dr. Resiliac reported improved attendance and board members discussed persistent transportation problems with contractor First Student and the potential costs and logistics of purchasing district buses, including the state requirement to transition to electric vehicles.
The Fredonia Central School District Board of Education heard a superintendent's report on May 19 showing steady districtwide attendance and discussed transportation challenges tied to the district's contract with First Student.
Dr. Resiliac told the board that the district generally "ranges from the high eighties to the mid-nineties" in attendance and highlighted several monthly figures for individual buildings. He credited administrative outreach and classroom-level efforts for the gains.
Board members then turned to transportation after a community speaker raised concerns about late runs and combined routes. Dr. Resiliac said the district and First Student have pursued several changes following contract renegotiation, including higher wages and benefits for drivers, upgraded equipment and bus video cameras, and adjustments to AM/PM runs to improve efficiency.
Committee member said the board has long debated whether to shift to a district-owned fleet, but noted the expense: "On any given day, we tend to run roughly 20 buses and to purchase 20 buses ... would just be an incredible amount of money," citing costs and ongoing obligations such as insurance and maintenance. The conversation included a cited per-vehicle figure of up to $60,000 as a planning reference.
A committee member also reminded the board that "the state law is still in place that school districts have to transition to electric buses," a factor members said would substantially increase purchase and operating costs for any in-house fleet. Several board members asked staff to compile more detailed cost comparisons of continued contracting versus purchasing, including driver, insurance and charging/infrastructure costs; staff indicated they could prepare numbers for future consideration.
No formal decision to change procurement or contracting was made. The board agreed to revisit the matter in the coming year after receiving more detailed cost estimates and information about electric-bus requirements.
The board scheduled its next regular meeting for June 9, 2026, at 6 p.m. in the high school library.
