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Finance committee recommends competitive bid for before/after‑care contract as budget pressures mount
Summary
The finance committee asked the board to authorize a competitive process for before‑ and after‑care contracts as the current five‑year agreement approaches its final year; members also flagged rising electricity costs, noted partial hedging by district solar agreements, and proposed exploring parent transportation waivers to reduce costs.
MIDDLETOWN — The board's finance committee told trustees it will ask the full board to initiate a competitive procurement process for the district's before‑ and after‑care services as the current five‑year contract enters its final year.
"We are in the last year of our 5 year contract... we have to go through another competitive process," a committee member said, noting the matter was placed on the meeting agenda for board action.
The finance update cautioned that regional electric prices are rising and that a cooperative bid through ACES was unable to produce a district‑beneficial award. "We do have somewhat of a hedge against that with our solar. We do have a locked in price through our agreement... where we buy electric get predetermined prices," the committee member said, while adding the hedge does not cover 100% of the district's usage.
The committee also described preliminary budget planning, saying administrators have started work on strategies to address drivers in next year's budget and that transportation waivers from parents may be solicited after the holidays to evaluate potential ridership reductions and route savings.
No final procurement contract was approved at the meeting; the board was asked to authorize starting the competitive process so administrators can return with proposals and timelines for evaluation.
Board members and staff will continue budget discussions over coming months as the administration develops options to mitigate rising costs.
