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Public urges rebid of transportation contract as trustees weigh in on in‑house costs
Summary
Public commenter Rebecca Syslo urged the board to rebid the district's contracted transportation, citing comparative budgets in neighboring districts; staff warned purchasing buses and bringing transportation in‑house would require tens of millions in upfront costs and infrastructure.
Rebecca Syslo, a public commenter, told the board she was "stunned" to learn Keller ISD's FY25 transportation budget was $16 million and urged the district to rebid the contract. She contrasted Keller's costs with nearby districts, saying Lewisville ISD's transportation budget was roughly $200,000 less despite serving 14,000 more students. "Since you began outsourcing your transportation in 2020, your costs have increased over $6,000,000," she said, and urged trustees to consider rebidding contracts and regional approaches to controlling TAD fees.
District staff responded during the budget Q&A that one‑year renewals and contract escalators had provided budget predictability, but that bringing transportation in‑house would require substantial upfront capital for buses and maintenance infrastructure. John Allison said the district would need to purchase buses and set up maintenance and operational capacity — with rough ballpark estimates discussed in the session that could amount to tens of millions of dollars in upfront costs. Trustees asked for more detailed cost modeling before pursuing a rebid or in‑house transition.
