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Board discusses METS bus contract; staff cite small service‑fee lift to retain drivers
Summary
The board reviewed a METS contract extension that would raise the service fee from 27% to 27.75% tied to driver longevity tiers; staff said the district spends about $1,000,000 on contracted driver salaries and estimated the fee change would add roughly $6,000 per year.
District staff presented a proposed extension of the METS bus-management contract and said the firm has asked for a small service‑fee increase tied to driver retention tiers.
Sean (Business Superintendent) explained the contract change is connected to a newly implemented tier system for drivers: “they asked this year for a tier 5, which means ... a tier 5 means you've been with us now for 4 school years” and staff noted the company asks to move the service fee from 27% to 27.75% to reflect that change. Sean said the district currently spends about $1,000,000 on contracted driver salaries and that a 0.75 percentage‑point increase on the service fee would be in the ballpark of an additional $6,000 annually.
Board members pressed for more detailed calculations and requested staff return with a line‑by‑line estimate that shows how the fee increase affects total contract cost, how many drivers would move into the next tier, and which budget lines (general fund, special‑ed, grants) would absorb the increase.
