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Board weighs 120-day compromise and cost of outsourcing as staffing timeline debated
Summary
Board members debated a time-limited contract (120 days) to allow staff to rebuild driver capacity while avoiding permanent outsourcing; staff said nine drivers are needed and estimated the short-term cost at roughly $243,000 under certain assumptions.
Board members debated a compromise to accept temporary vendor help while limiting the duration to 120 days so the district could rebuild its own driver pool.
Several members urged caution about committing long term to an outside vendor and proposed negotiating a 120-day limit into the contract. The chair framed the approach as a middle ground: authorize vendor coverage immediately but include a set end point to force the district to continue recruiting and to allow incremental exit as internal hires arrive. "I wanna give her the hundred and 20 days that she needs, and we can fix it," the chair said.
Board arithmetic and staff estimates were discussed during deliberations. Staff and members discussed a scenario of nine substitute drivers at $300 per day and estimated an approximate cost of about $243,000 for a roughly 90-workday span under the meetings math; members noted that figure assumed efficient recruiting and perfect conditions. Transportation director Sierra told the board that bringing staffing to nine drivers likely would take until December under current recruitment and training plans.
