By NEIL ZOLOT
NORTH READING — The School Committee approved extending the school bus contract with North Suburban Transportation at their meeting Monday, February 12. The current agreement expires June 30, 2024. The new contract will run through June 30, 2025.
“They’ve delivered high quality service,” Assistant Superintendent for Finance and Operations Michael Connelly said, who recommended that the board exercise its contract extension option “for one more year.”
By exercising this option, the daily cost to the district will increase by $30 per day per bus in FY25, from $380 to $410. This is an increase of 7.8 percent over FY24.
“The bus transportation market in Massachusetts continues to experience an increase due to a variety of factors, including healthcare costs, Massachusetts sick time laws, inflation and supply chain shortages and an overall shortage of qualified bus drivers. These factors have continued to result in an increase in bus rates over the past five years,” Connelly explained in a memo to the board members.
“A review of bid results of districts that have gone out to bid over the past 18 months illustrate that the average market rate in this area is currently higher than what North Reading would pay by exercising its fourth optional year of the current contract with North Suburban,” Connelly’s memo continued.
“A comparison of daily bus rates of surrounding communities is enclosed in this packet for your review. As you can see, the pricing North Reading would realize by exercising the optional year of the existing agreement despite the increase from $380 to $410 per bus per day (7.8%) is still below the rates of School Districts that have recently gone out to bid, for example Reading Public Schools receiving bid pricing of $460 and Winchester $452. It is expected that by going out to bid now, the market conditions will yield higher pricing in the $460 range than the current optional year pricing North Reading is due to receive for Fiscal Year 2025 with North Suburban. It is advantageous to exercise the first of the one-year options to extend the current North Suburban contract,” the memo concluded.
Electronic Messaging policy rejected
The School Committee also rejected a change in their policy on the “Use of Electronic Messaging by Members” that would prohibit messaging on matters that require public discussion on the grounds it is already covered in existing regulations.
“It seems redundant to existing laws,” member Jeff Friedman said. “Our thoughts are we already can’t do that and messaging is subject to discovery. It doesn’t add anything or remove any responsibility for the members. It’s unnecessary if courts have already ruled on this and the policy would have to evolve as court interpretations change.”
Messaging may be used for “housekeeping” matters, such as scheduling, but not discussion or deliberation. “I take it we know all this and agree to do it,” Chairman Scott Buckley said during a discussion on the topic. “I’m not sure why you pass a policy to say we have to follow the law; it’s obvious. Why are we not passing a policy saying we will follow other laws?”
“It’s important for everybody to know this and follow it,” Superintendent Dr. Patrick Daly explained. “If we have new members in the future we have to make sure they know it.”
Committee member Noelle Rudloff voted in dissent. She said adoption would “give reassurance to the public.”
The vote was only the first of three readings on the proposed policy change. The members could reconsider it at a future date.