School District Transfers

An Owner/Operator Contract To MTM

By Eliza Hallabeck

The resignation of a school bus owner/operator in the early spring has lead to confusion over the school district’s decision to transfer the owner/operator’s contract to MTM Transportation Inc, a move by the district feared by owner/operators during the MTM Transportation contract negotiations this past spring.

At a Board of Education meeting on June 16, school board member Anna Wiedemann questioned Interim Business Director Diane Raymo whether $50,000 had been used to purchase a bus to replace an already existent owner/operator route. Superintendent of Schools Janet Robinson said no, and said the bus had always been in the budget.

Ms Raymo said during the meeting the contract for the bus route was still being discussed with the district’s attorney.

During contract negotiations for the special education and out-of-district transportation, owner/operators spoke at multiple Board of Education meetings during public participation against bringing in an outside transportation contractor, specifically All-Star Transportation, into the district because the eventual transfer of the owner/operator contracts to a bus company was feared.

The owner/operators handle the regular bus routes in the district, and own and operate their vehicles. The tradition of contracting with private drivers over a single company has been in practice in the district since 1934, according to Town Historian Dan Cruson’s publication Educating Newtown’s Children: A History of Its Schools. Newtown is unique in the state of Connecticut for its model of transportation.

“It has gone through the [Board of Education’s] vetting project,” said Dr Robinson during an interview on July 8.

 As reported in The Bee, Bus 3, the bus in question, was in the middle of a five-year contract when the resignation of its driver happened after a collision on January 30. The four-vehicle chain-reaction collision occurred on a hazardous curve on eastbound Berkshire Road (Route 34), near its intersection with Pole Bridge Road.

After the driver’s resignation, another driver took over the route for the remainder of the school year.

In a May 26 document showing the 2009-2010 Budget Breakdown, provided by the school district, the transfer of the owner/operator route into MTM Transportation’s contract is specified as saving $16,000, minus the cost to insure an MTM Transportation bus and driver.

Dr Robinson said MTM Transportation’s contract has a cost of $280 per day for each bus route, “Whereas the owner/operators are over $300.”

According to the budget breakdown, as an owner/operator contract, the route costs the district $368.02, and as an MTM contract it will cost the district $280.

While this was a unique situation, Dr Robinson said in the future she can see this as being the first time the district has set a standard for bus route rates.

“We have to do what’s in the best interest for the school district,” she added.

Dr Robinson said transferring the route to MTM was the smoothest way to handle the decision.

While MTM Transportation co-owner Michelle Voight said the contract has not been fully signed over to the company, she had no further comments on the issue prior to the school board’s meeting on July 14, when public participation brought the issue before the school board.

During public participation at the special meeting of the school board on July 14, owner/operator Phil Carroll said the “entire administration and the school board” had said previously said whoever was awarded the special education and private routes in the district would have nothing to do with the owner/operator contracts. He said the contract in question is being shifted to MTM now.

Mr Carroll said earlier in the day MTM owner Michelle Voight had met with Transportation Director Tony DiLonardo, and afterward Ms Voight said she was told no more contracts would be given to an owner/operator. Ms Voight was not present for the school board’s meeting on Tuesday.

“That’s the end of the owner/operator system,” said Mr Carroll.

“I have no comment on that,” said Transportation Director Tony DiLonardo in a Thursday morning phone interview. “I have no authority to make that decision. That’s a Board of Ed decision.”

Mr DiLonardo also verified that each individual owner/operator contract has and will go before the school board as the come up for renewal.

Owner/operator Carey Schierloh said she went through school board meeting minutes, and when anyone resigned or retired, their contract has always been given to an owner/operator. Only one contract had been given temporarily to MTM, but it was returned to an owner/operator when possible.

“That has been the way it has operated for over 50 years,” said Ms Schierloh at the meeting, regarding the passing of an owner/operator contract to the next person waiting for one in line.

Mr Carroll said after the school board meeting that there are now eight people waiting in line for an owner/operator contract, and having the list helps maintain the number of drivers in town.

Dr Robinson said since it was a special meeting of the school board, the board could not vote to add another topic to discussion.

“We are not permitted to discuss something that is not on the agenda tonight,” she said.

Dr Robinson also said the contract with MTM is for a five-year term now, and adding a route to the budget for an owner/operator would be problematic now that the budget had been vetted and passed by the school board.

School board secretary Kathryn Fetchick asked to put the issue on the agenda for a future meeting, and during that meeting, she asked the board to discuss making a policy to going forward.

On Wednesday, July 15, Board of Education Chair Elaine McClure said she also hopes the issue will be discussed at the next school board meeting, but it depends if the director of transportation can be present.

“I personally think that is something the board needs to take a look into,” she said.

Ms McClure said having the director of transportation there to assist in the discussion would be needed.

“I like our two public sessions,” said Ms McClure. “And in the second you can bring up a subject that would you would like us to talk about, and this is a prime example.”

The school board’s next meeting is scheduled for August 11.