Board approves five‑year transportation contracts with Prior Lake School Bus Association and backup provider

The Prior Lake‑Savage Area Schools Board on June 8 approved two transportation contracts that together govern general education and special education routing and provide a regional backup capacity for overflow or out‑of‑district trips.

Administration summarized the primary agreement with the Prior Lake School Bus Association as a five‑year contract that includes rate schedules, equipment inventories and a phased transition to a new routing platform. Director Ryder said the contract reflects items requested in the district RFP, has been reviewed by counsel for both parties and includes plans to import data from the district student information system into the routing software. Board members asked about timing and readiness for the first day of school; administration said summer routing for summer school had been completed on the new system as a pilot and staff would maintain manual fallbacks during the transition.

The board also approved a five‑year collaborative student transportation backup contract to provide additional capacity for specialized out‑of‑district routes (care and treatment, homeless transportation and overflow special education needs). Rates for the backup contract include a 4% annual increase; administration said the vendor is intended as a supplemental resource rather than a primary provider.

Jerry Barren, a Prior Lake School Bus supervisor, thanked district negotiators and singled out Lisa Ryder and Michelle Chuka for their collaboration: "our negotiation process was a very tough process... we just want to give a huge thank you to both Lisa Ryder and Michelle Chuka for their willingness to listen to us," he said.

Both contracts passed on voice vote; administration indicated signed agreements were ready for execution and implementation would continue to be phased with dual manual and electronic fallbacks until routes stabilize.