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80-RE4
Top Member
USA
5700 Posts |
 Posted - 06/14/2003 : 04:44:17 AM
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The company I work for, has a three year contract with the town. The company has two more years left. When the contract was finalized, the town awarded the bus company more bus service, which included, two late busses, for students who needed to stay after, and a bus service for those students who weren't eligible to take a bus because they lived to close to the school, but during the months it snowed out, they would be bused.
I heard from other drivers and management that the town, for the next school year, is going to be cutting the late bus service, and also the winter buses. They will also be putting those students who take half buses on big buses, extending the routes, and filling the buses up more, they will also be eliminating some routes, especially the small bus routes.
Is the school system allowed to do this? I thought when they made the 3 year contract, they could not make changes until that contract expired?
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DJBUSMARK
Senior Member
USA
184 Posts |
Posted - 06/14/2003 : 08:20:53 AM
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I know the district you drive for is in MA, and due to the state's budget woes, your town won't be alone in cutting back bus routes or making changes due to cutbacks in funding.
Here in Lowell, for example, the school committee this week approved a Fiscal Year 2004 budget that contained $10.8 million in cuts that not only eliminates over 100 teaching, custodial, administrative, and other positions, but also will eliminate several bus routes, by strictly following the MA state "mile and a half" rule, which is only students that live more than 1 and a half miles from school are required to have school bus service. Lowell transports many students who live less that a mile and a half due to dangerous walking conditions or other special circumstances. The school department's transportation department is in charge of drawing up the routes and sending them to the bus contractor, which is First Student entering the last year of a 3 year contract. Next year's routes obviously aren't drawn up yet, but the school committee's projections are that the new routes could eliminate between 6 and 10 buses. Lowell's contract with First Student calls for 75 route buses and 5 spares. I'm not sure if there's some kind of clause or provision written into the contract that covers decreasing or increasing numbers of buses needed. Lowell does not want to institute a bus fee, as many other towns and school districts are going to do or are considering due to the financial crisis in MA.
Meanwhile, yesterday was the last day of school in Tewksbury, the company I drive for had it's end of year cookout for the drivers after the half day of school, our manager isn't sure what next year will bring as far as number of routes increasing or decreasing. Thus, they put on hold any new bus purchases till they get a better idea of what the new school year will bring. They don't want to be stuck with too many parked buses if the number of routes decrease, but if they increase they hope there's enough notice to purchase new buses and hire new drivers if that turns out to be the case.
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Questions about contracts
